My Babu
by Field-Poppies
Summary: Poland is transformed into a baby and needs someone to take care of him. Who better than Lithuania and Hungary, who have never even held a child before, to raise Poland? Mostly Comedy, some romance, angst and drama. Rated M to be safe! Later chapters contain mature language, at least one potentially distressing scene and characters discussing relationships and sex. No actual sex.
1. Left Holding the Baby

**Authors Notes:**

I'd just like to point out I am new to writing and that this is my first fanfiction.

I love LietPol but I've been seeing more fanart of Baby Poland recently and I love the idea of Poland as a baby with Papa Liet taking care of him. An animated piece by SaucyMcFuzzy (DeviantArt) / saucybroswithbenefits (their Tumblr account)(be warned that some of their art is NSFW) of Baby Po inspired me to write this fanfic and I've been working on this since then, doing a little bit each day and then when it was complete, I panicked and considered not posting it because it reveals how much of a lunatic I am. xD

Oh! And one last note. I suspect American users are in the majority here so I've tried to remember to use American words for certain things to reduce the amount of confusion but I am English so I use British English spelling.

**Disclaimer: Hetalia Axis Powers and all its respective characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya and not me.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Left Holding the Baby**

November 4th

Vilnius - Lithuania

_*click* *creak*_

The door swung open and revealed a disheveled young man. He was tall, lean and as smartly dressed as an experienced working man attending a job interview. However, his tie was a little crooked. His tousled hair looked as untidy as ever. His eyes were blue and weary and he looked completely exhausted. His name was Lithuania.

"I'm home" He announced to no one in particular as he collapsed on the sofa. He lived alone and had for some time now. Russia had apparently grown bored with tormenting him. Belarus still hated him. Estonia had practically become a recluse after discovering the internet. Latvia was growing up and increasingly enjoying being independent. And Poland... He hadn't seen Poland for a while. They'd gotten into another fight regarding their respective languages and it had ended with the Pole shouting that 'he hated him and never wanted to see him again' as he stormed off back to Warsaw. He doubted Poland meant that. The petulant blonde had said something along those lines so many, many times before but he always returned. Poland would find him and often surprise him with a sudden glomp attack from behind all the while grinning like an idiot. Apparently, he forgot every argument they had. The time that would elapse between Poland's leave-taking after they quarrelled and his rowdy return, varied. Once, as little as eighteen minutes had passed. His longest absence was the current one; He'd neither visited nor spoken to him over the phone in almost a month.

_The Phone... I should check to see if I have any messages... _He proceeded towards the hall.

Lithuania had called in on Mr. America that weekend just to pay him a friendly visit. Lithuania didn't have many friends and he rarely ventured outside his own region despite being free to do so now. Initially he'd been joyous after regaining his freedom following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Those that had caused him so much pain had left. Finally his house was in order. His home was peaceful, neat and tidy. He answered to no one. He could do as he pleased. He didn't have to run around after others anymore. No one relied on him anymore... No one needed him. Everyone had gone. Lithuania didn't know what to do with himself. He would never admit to others that he felt lonely and that the oppressive silence in his own home had driven him out and halfway across the world to see a former employer.

Mr. America had greeted him warmly and had taken him on a rapid tour of anything and everything that was of interest to him. The younger, louder nation had talked endlessly about things Lithuania had little to no understanding of. He struggled to follow the conversations they had. He'd forgotten Mr. America was like Poland in that respect. Lithuania had stayed until his pounding head and distressed stomach (he'd eaten the hamburgers his host had offered him every day) could take no more. He'd politely excused himself, told a few white lies about being urgently needed back home and thanked Mr. America for having him. He was told he should call in on him again and he assured the American that he would (though he'd need several months to recover from this visit).

Lithuania sighed and tapped the button on his answer machine.

"You have... 39 new messages" The electronic voice echoed through the hallway.

Lithuania almost collapsed.

"Thirty-nine!? In five days!?" He yelped.

Something must have gone badly wrong. Russia had declared war. His economy was collapsing. Latvia had been in an accident...

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

He almost jumped out of his skin. Lithuania swallowed hard as he picked up the receiver, moistened his lips with his tongue and tried to speak normally.

"He..Hello? This is Lithuania speakin..."

"FINALLY!" He was cut off by a very loud, female voice. "Where have you been!? I've been trying to get hold of you for days!"

"Erm... I was visiting Mr. America... I'm sorry but... who is this?" Lithuania asked nervously.

The woman on the other end of the line made a noise of disbelief.

"It's Hungary"

"OH! I'm so sorry, Miss Hungary, I haven't heard from you in such a long time tha..." He was cut off again.

"Yes. Yes. I get it. We can catch up later but right now I need you to come to Warsaw"

"Warsaw? Has something bad happened to Poland?!" He asked hurriedly.

"Well...You could say that... I think it's better if you see for yourself though. Can you travel here now? You must be suffering from jet lag..." This time Lithuania interjected.

"I am very tired, yes, but I'll make my way there right now. I'll be driving so it might take me a while" he explained. Flying would be faster but somehow Lithuania felt he might need his car. Poland was a terrible motorist, in fact, within ten seconds he could write off any mode of transport that was ground-based and had wheels. Lithuania had confiscated his roller skates on a number of occasions because he was so dangerous on them.

"I'll still be here; I can't leave Poland alone" Hungary said simply. Apparently whatever the matter was it wasn't one of life or death and he was fine to drive there. It also seemed as though Hungary wasn't going to reveal anything over the phone. She advised him to drive slowly and carefully and Lithuania nodded, forgetting Hungary couldn't see him.

"I'm setting off now. Be with you as soon as I can" he added unnecessarily.

Lithuania glanced at the clock. It was 11:17 am. It would take him approximately seven hours to get to Warsaw. He was glad it was still quite early and that he'd gotten some sleep during the flight home. He should be able to manage the drive. He put the phone down and hurried out the front door.

* * *

Warsaw - Poland

Lithuania practically launched himself out of his car and jogged towards Poland's front door. He was about to let himself into the property when he remembered his manners. He knocked on the door loudly four times and was not kept waiting long. Hungary opened the door almost immediately, she must have been nearby.

"Hello. Long time no see." Hungary said as she retreated back into the hall before he even had time to respond. Lithuania followed her in.

"Hi..." He responded rather awkwardly. He'd never been good at talking with her. They were acquaintances really... She had always been closer to Poland.

Hungary stopped at the door to a reception room and turned around to face the Lithuanian. Her facial expression was grave.

Lithuania was getting more and more anxious and frustrated. "Listen... However bad it is, can you please just tell me what is going on?"

Hungary, seemingly distracted, had turned her head to the right and seemed to be staring at something in the room.

"Miss Hungary?" He tried again. He stepped into the doorway and tried to follow her gaze. He was quite taken aback by what he saw and surprised at himself for not noticing the obvious; there, on the sofa, nestled securely between several cushions was a little person. A baby. Physically, most of the nations appeared to be young but they were in fact all very old. Hundreds of years could pass between the arrivals of new nations so many of the countries had not seen or had experience with children, particularly newborns. They were even less involved with the offspring of their citizens.

His mouth opened but no words came forth. He slowly made his way over to the infant and crouched down for a better look. The child was small and chubby and dressed in a light pink romper suit that... well... really suited him (despite pink normally being associated with girls, he was certain he was looking at a little boy). He had a fine head of blond hair that reminded him of the summer sun. A lot of the hair at the front had been pulled up into a small topknot and tied with a pink ribbon. It looked like the head of a rope was standing to attention on top of his head. The youngster had a soft toy within his grasp and was thoroughly investigating every millimetre of it using his hands.

"Poland...?" He asked quietly. The baby's head snapped up as he finally realized someone was right in front of him. But he didn't look surprised. His eyes hadn't widened in surprise yet they looked far too big for him. They were a brilliant green. He was carefully scrutinizing the Lithuanian man and he didn't look too impressed with him. He returned to examining his stuffed unicorn, apparently already bored with Lithuania. Lithuania felt even smaller than the baby he was currently admiring... "You are definitely Poland" he declared.

Lithuania got to his feet and turned to question Hungary. "That is Poland, isn't it? How did this happen!?"

Hungary sighed. "The Britannia Angel paid a visit"

"The what...?" Now he was even more confused.

"England. He turned up drunk one evening wearing a fairy outfit or however you want to call it... He waved a wand around, said something I really couldn't understand then..." She paused trying to think of an appropriate word. "Zapped! Zapped Poland with it then staggered off home I think. You know how he gets!"

Lithuania didn't know how England got when he was drinking and he also didn't know what to say so he let Hungary continue her story uninterrupted.

"Poland has been a baby for four days now. I spoke with England as soon as he was sober and ordered him to change Poland back but he said he didn't know how to. He wasn't even aware that he was capable of something like this and he that our best hope is that the spell will break on its own"

"Have you been taking care of him since it happened?" Lithuania asked.

Hungary nodded. "Of course. He's my friend and, well, just look at him! He's completely defenceless! So far the only nations who know are myself, England and now you. We can't let anyone know. There are many who would take advantage of this situation. He probably wouldn't survive if someone attacked him." Hungary looked upset.

_Russia... _That cruel man was at the forefront of Lithuania's mind.

"I understand... and I agree." Lithuania affirmed. "What do we do now?"

"Well... England said he'd see if he could find a way to turn him back... how exactly I don't know. We could wait to see if the spell does break on its own. Poland just needs someone to take care of him for now." Hungary looked him straight in the eyes as she said it. Lithuania nodded. _It seems he hasn't caught on..._ She sighed.

"I was hoping that perhaps you would take him...?" Hungary gave him a pleading look.

"WHAT!?" "Why me?" He spluttered.

"Because I've stayed here too long! I need to go home. My economy won't run itself. I'm back with Austria and he is wondering why the hell I've not returned yet. I wanted to take Poland home with me but Austria isn't an idiot; whatever lie I told he'd eventually realize who this baby actually is and as much as I love the man I'm afraid I couldn't trust him not to do anything to Poland or inform others!" She explained frantically.

"You're his friend and you're right next door to him. You're trustworthy. You're intelligent, can speak polish and understand his economy. And I'm certain you're capable of managing both your economies for a little while." She looked at him hopefully. "Say you'll do it"

Lithuania was slightly embarrassed and surprised that Hungary thought so highly of him. She was right; he could do it. He'd find a way to do it.

Hungary couldn't miss that determined look in his eyes. "Great!" She grinned. "I really need to get going" She said, suddenly serious once more.

"Right this second?! You can't. I agree with you that I am probably capable of managing two countries but I have NO IDEA how to take care of a baby!" Now he was starting to panic.

"What's so difficult about it?" She asked as she wandered about the place, grabbing her things. "When he's tired, you put him down for a nap. When he's hungry, you feed him. When he soils himself, you clean him and put a fresh diaper on him." She stated matter-of-factly.

"I have to wipe his ass?" He asked. He'd always thought this day would come. He'd been expecting to do it for adult Poland though, given how lazy he could be...

A thought hit Lithuania like a brick wall.

"Is he breast-feeding...? How am I supposed to..." He looked flustered.

Hungary didn't want to dignify his silly question with a response but the man sounded hopeless! She gave him a no-nonsense look. "He's drinks formula milk and he's starting on solids. You'll find the formula, puree food and instructions in the kitchen."

"Diapers, wet wipes, baby powder et cetera are in the first bedroom to your left. We were sleeping in there. He has a crib. You do not fall asleep with him in your bed in case you roll over on top of him and smother him." She warned.

"So, he'll just sleep when he needs it and I'll just have to put him somewhere safe and warm till he wakes up. And he'll cry when he needs a diaper change or food. It shouldn't be hard to figure out which he needs... but what abo..." Again, he was interrupted by Hungary.

"Oh! No! Poland doesn't cry"

"Come again?" He replied. He was sure he'd heard it right but it seemed implausible.

"He doesn't cry..."

"Not at all...?"

"Not at all. He doesn't babble or make any noise at all really. I was a little concerned about him at first."

"Isn't that a little strange? I mean, when you hear 'baby' you also expect to hear crying, screaming... Are we sure this is Poland? I really can't imagine him being quiet... and I can't imagine him not crying. He cries all the time! He cries when his online game freezes!"

"I thought the same" Hungary admitted with a grin. "I actually took him to the doctor and he said there was nothing wrong with him although he confessed he thought it was a little bit odd. It is a little creepy when he stares at you in complete silence..." She shuddered.

"I really need to get a move on. It's a long drive for me too." She continued to gather her belongings.

"No! Not yet, I'm not ready!" Lithuania exclaimed as Hungary pulled on her coat and reached for her car keys.

"Frankly, Lithuania, I don't think you'll ever be ready with that mentality. You need to calm down, use your common sense and you'll figure things out. It's not difficult. You're bound to make a few little mistakes... with feeding I'd imagine. I still haven't figured out all his likes and dislikes. He liked cherry and melon flavoured puree a few hours ago..." She trailed off. "A lot of the food is going to end up on you."

He didn't want to ask.

"Right! Time to say goodbye to my Babu!"

_Babu...?_

Hungary plucked Poland off the sofa and started planting sloppy, motherly kisses all over his chubby little face. "There's my little snookum! My little cutie-pie Ba Ba Babu! I'm going to miss you, yes I am!" Poland didn't appear to be enjoying the attention. Nor did he appear to hate it. He looked more confused than anything. Lithuania thought it might be due to the baby talk because it was certainly worrying him...

Hungary's goodbyes were coming to an end. "I'll be back to see you as soon as I can but now you need to be a good boy for Lithuania" she said as she handed Poland over to him.

He'd never held a baby before. Lithuania hesitantly stretched out his arms to take hold of, for the very first time, the child that was now in his care. He was initially surprised that Poland didn't weigh as much as he'd expected him to. He wrapped his left arm around him and held him snug against his chest. He could comfortably carry him with one arm. Poland was so warm and soft. Very huggable. An unusual scent emanated from the little boy. His nose could detect various oils and creams combined together with something else... something he couldn't put his finger on. This must be 'that baby smell' he'd heard countless people mention over time. How peculiar it was! He was distracted by Poland's podgy fingers as they clung to his shirt. He looked into Poland's eyes and Poland looked into his. Poland raised his free hand to his mouth and began to suck his thumb. Baby Poland certainly was a cutie-pie as Hungary had said.

"Lithuania!" Hungary's voice snapped him out of his trance-like state. "I gave him his last bottle moments before you arrived. I'm afraid his routine has been a little disrupted this evening but at least you shouldn't have to worry about feeding him tonight. Poland has my number on speed dial and his cell phone is near his house phone in the hall; call if you need me"

"I will, thank you, Miss Hungary. Take care on your way home."

She nodded and waved at Poland. "Bye bye, Po! See you soon"

Poland and Lithuania watched her leave. Lithuania waved goodbye to Hungary but Poland did not. He wondered if she'd actually expected the baby to wave back at her. He wondered if Poland could wave. The realization came to him that he was now completely alone with a person he no longer knew. Baby Poland was a stranger to him. They were starting anew and one of them couldn't talk. Panic was beginning to set in again.

"Let's go in and get warm, shall we?"

* * *

Lithuania had got the fire going while Poland was on the floor, being both surrounded and propped up by scatter cushions. He had borrowed the idea from Miss Hungary. He happened to agree with her that this was an ideal seating arrangement for him; gently being kept in one safe, warm place where people could keep an eye on him.

He asked the little one. "Can you crawl?"

Poland was sucking on the corner of a blue cushion. He looked deep in thought. Lithuania hoped that Poland wasn't thinking about doing a demonstration of his crawling ability right now. He could turn his back for a few seconds and the child could be off! It would be dreadful if he lost him on the first night. Poland released the blue cushion from his tiny mouth but a string of saliva still connected the two of them. He swivelled slightly to the left and into his mouth went the white cushion. He seemed to like putting things in there.

"Are you still hungry?" Why was he asking when Poland couldn't tell him?

Hungary had mentioned instructions regarding feeding earlier. Perhaps she'd left a note telling him how often he should be fed. He told Poland not to move as he rushed into the kitchen, hoping to find some useful and concise notes that he would also be able to read. He quickly spotted several sheets of paper on the table, snatched the lot and hurried back into the living room. Poland was where he'd left him and still alive. Things were going well!

Lithuania sat cross-legged in front of Poland, placed the three sheets on the floor between them and examined them. Poland saw them and decided he wanted them. He tried to reach forward, opening and closing his fist in a grabby motion to show that he would please like to have that item in his hand right now. Lithuania noticed.

"No, Poland. I need these and I know what you'll do with them" When he caught the frustrated look on the infant's face he added "Tomorrow, I'll get you a newspaper to eat, okay?"

Poland looked crestfallen. Lithuania looked troubled.

He looked around. "Don't you have a pacifier or something else you'd rather have?"

He felt about his person, wondering if maybe he had something in his pockets which was safe for a baby to maul. He heard his keys jingle in his lower left pocket and suddenly remembered his keychain. It was a squeezable football roughly the size of a small egg. There were several tiny hexagons on it in Lithuanian colours. He presented Poland with it who instantly grabbed the ball and shoved it into his mouth. He hadn't accounted for the effect the added weight of the keys would have as Poland's head dipped forward and his chin came to rest on a cushion. Poland seemed surprised and a little uncomfortable but there was no way he was letting go of his new chew toy. And seeing all the dribble leaking out of the corners of Poland's mouth, Lithuania decided he really didn't want it back.

With Poland occupied, Lithuania could focus on the information before him. The sheets seemed to be in the correct order. There wasn't much to read but he particularly appreciated the feeding schedule.

_7.30am - Bottle  
9.00am - Porridge  
11.30am - Bottle  
12.30pm - Puree (about 10 - 15 small baby spoons, choose any)  
3.00pm - Bottle  
5.00pm - Puree (same amount as before, choose any)  
7.30pm - Bottle (just before bedtime – he's usually asleep by 8:00-8:30pm) _

Lithuania glanced at the clock. It was already past Poland's bedtime. Poland was slumped over the fortress of cushions and he was sucking the key chain with less vigour. His heavy-lidded eyes were barely open. Lithuania rushed through the rest of the notes.

_Always test the temperature of the milk before you give it to him. He's a fussy eater. What he likes one hour, he'll hate the next. Hence all the jars of food. _

He hadn't checked the cupboards yet but it sounded like he was going to be in for a surprise.

_When he doesn't feel like eating something he'll let you know. Do not feed him in your best clothes._

That sounded ominous.

_You don't have to feed him puree all the time. You can try him on soft foods like oatmeal, bananas, mashed veggies... ect. _

There were a few bullet points on preparing formula milk and that was all she'd wrote on the subject of food. The next notes were about... hygiene. There was a step-by-step on how to change a diaper. He praised the heavens. He'd make sure he had that to hand later on when he needed it. He also learned that Poland was to have one bath per day an hour prior to his last bottle of milk before being put down for the night. This meant that Poland was ready for bed right now unless he'd had a little accident. All Lithuania had to do tonight was check to see if Poland needed a clean diaper on and then place him inside his crib.

The sudden unexpected noise of his keys dropping to the floor startled him. His eyes shot to Poland who had all but collapsed in a heap. The keychain had slipped out of his mouth. He'd have literally fallen asleep had there not been a wall of cushions propping him up. Lithuania chuckled at the thought.

"Come on, little man. Let's find your bed" Lithuania carefully picked Poland up and held him close. Poland snuggled into his chest as he carried him up the stairs. He knew Poland's house like the back of his hand, he'd stayed there so often. He walked directly to the room Hungary said she'd been sharing with the baby and entered.

He noticed the crib first. It was a plain and simple thing made from solid wood which was light in colour. The bedding was equally simple; fairly basic pale pink and white sheets and pillows. He thought it looked sweet but he couldn't imagine fashionista Poland being too impressed with it.

He walked with Poland over to the changing table he'd noticed second. It was actually just an ordinary table with a changing mat placed on top of it. He laid the youngster down onto his back and attempted to gently wrestle his legs out of his romper suit without disturbing his slumber. Poland stirred in his sleep but didn't wake. Lithuania pulled on the adhesive strips fastening the diaper together and peeled the front half back. Next, now following Hungary's notes, he closed his hand around Poland's legs and slowly lifted his lower torso so he could inspect the diaper. When Poland returned to normal, he was going to be mortified after learning that Lithuania had seen his doodle and his naked rear end, he was certain of it. The diaper appeared to be clean. At least, it looked clean and it didn't smell of urine. Feeling brave, he decided to touch it with his little finger. It was dry. Baby Poland was making this evening very easy for him! He quickly refastened the diaper and dressed him again then carried him back over to the crib.

The sheets had already been pulled back, ready to accommodate the weary little lad. Lithuania tenderly lowered him, head first, onto the mattress and tucked him in. Poland was sound asleep. He was flat on his back with his arms up and either side of his head. He looked like he'd collapsed after running a marathon. Lithuania strained to hear him breathing. He could see Poland's chest rise up and down but there was no sound. It was fascinating to watch him sleep. Sleep. He could do with some of that himself.

He switched the bedside lamp on and the ceiling light off as he silently left the room and ran back downstairs to collect his notes, extinguish the fire and turn off the lights. This time, when he returned to the landing, he entered a different bedroom. It was the one he usually slept in when he stayed over. If Poland hadn't been angry enough with him to dispose of them, he should still have a decent amount of clothing here. There were a few changes of casual clothing, a suit or two, socks and underwear and something he could sleep in. He pulled out an old t-shirt and a pair of boxers and wandered back to the room he'd now be sharing with Poland.

He dashed quietly over to the crib and checked on Poland again. He was still asleep. Lithuania really craved a shower before bed so in he went. He'd decided to undress in the en suite bathroom because, even though Poland wasn't watching him, it felt strange to be getting naked in front of a child, a child that wasn't even his. It took him fifteen minutes to shower, dry off his body and pull on his clothes. He stepped back into the bedroom with a face towel around his neck and realized his hair was still soaking wet, he'd need a hairdryer and he couldn't use it in here. He sighed and fled to another room to dry his hair thinking that the next time he needed a shower, he'd wait until morning.

That bed was looking more and more inviting and Lithuania hoped the sheets were fresh. Hungary had been sleeping there. He didn't dislike Hungary or her scent; he just wasn't very comfortable with sleeping in a bed that had recently been used by someone else's girlfriend. He sniffed the pillow and the sheets. It seemed she had changed the bedding for him so he flopped down onto the bed face first. He could barely muster the energy to turn his head to check the time on the alarm clock. It was only 9:00 pm and he couldn't recall ever going to bed so early. Lithuania groaned and switched off the lamp. He fell into a deep slumber moments later, too tired to even dream.


	2. The Longest Day?

**Chapter 2: The Longest Day?**

November 5th

When Lithuania woke, he did so before his brain. The bed he was in was not his own. This wasn't his bedroom. And he couldn't be in his house. He'd forgotten where he was and was completely befuddled. Rubbing his eyes and sweeping his hair back off his face helped him to see clearer. _A baby's crib..._ _Poland! _As Lithuania tried to get out of bed quickly, one of his legs became tangled in his crumpled bed sheets and he ended up toppling over. It took an impressive six seconds for him to free himself and reach Poland's sleeping spot in two strides.

Little Poland was awake and staring at him in, what looked like, disappointment. There was nothing to suggest he had been crying so he was apparently fine and had been waiting for someone to show up. Lithuania stepped backwards to look at the clock. 7:10 am. If he remembered rightly, Poland's first feed was due at 7:30 am. Given that neither of them was ready, he'd never prepared baby's formula milk before and didn't know where it was, he knew they would be off schedule but at least he had woken up at a reasonable time and Poland wouldn't be kept waiting too long for his first meal of the day. Time to hustle!

Upon giving the bedroom and the changing table a proper inspection he realized that everything had been wonderfully organised by Hungary. He could find no fault with it. Lithuania pulled open one of the drawers in a dressing table and found an array of baby clothes. Each outfit was either soft yellow, pale pink or baby blue and those that were not modestly plain were adorned with hearts, ducklings and bears. They were sickeningly sweet to look at and Poland was going to look like a little girl in all of them. He contemplated dressing him up as Rambo but the prospect of Hungary becoming Rambo herself after finding out what he'd done quickly put him off the idea. He huffed and selected the most simplistic, blue romper suit he could find.

Lithuania picked Poland up and mused again over how he could weigh so little.

"Good morning, sunshine" Lithuania's brow furrowed. Did all people naturally slip into using terms of endearment and cutesy words when a baby entered their lives? They must do. He'd never heard Hungary sound as sweet and loving as she had last night in all the centuries he'd known her!

Poland, once settled on the changing mat, made a grab for a bottle of lotion and was about to cram it into his mouth until Lithuania intercepted it. The baby looked a little annoyed and kicked out for a bit.

"Ah, ah! None of that. You were good last night." _He was asleep last night!_ His brain reminded him.

Poland decided to suck on his thumb instead and as he did so, his face became less grumpy. Lithuania decided it was safe to continue and removed the infant's clothes and dirty diaper much faster than he had last night. The clothes went into the laundry basket. The diaper smelled horrid as Poland had wet himself and pooped at some point while he slept. Lithuania tried not to look at it as he disposed of it then used a wet wipe to clean his hands. He glanced at Hungary's notes and pulled out another wet wipe to use on Poland. He hoisted the boy up by his legs as he had done last night, then gently used the wipe to clean Poland's little pink bottom. He reached for another wipe to be sure he'd done a satisfactory job then smoothed a good dollop of cream over Poland's off-colour behind. After he'd gotten the clean diaper and some fresh clothes on Poland with minimal fuss, he felt like congratulating himself.

"Poland! High five!" He beamed at the tot and held his open palm above Poland's.

Naturally, Poland didn't understand and stared worriedly at the extremity that was a mere inch or so from his face. Lithuania gently covered Poland's tiny palm with his hand for a few seconds then pulled away, embarrassed by his own behaviour and lack of sense. Poland looked at his own hand in puzzlement.

Lithuania attempted to recover from his mistake by fussing with Poland's clothes, making sure he looked well cared for. He spotted another box of wet wipes. They didn't smell as strongly as the ones he's just used so he felt that they'd be suitable for giving Poland's face a quick wash. The baby squeezed his eyes shut and tried to turn away, waving his arms frantically as the damp fabric dabbed at his forehead, nose, cheeks and lips. Poland looked fed up but Lithuania wasn't quite done with him yet. Next, he released Poland's blonde mop of hair and smoothed it all out with a soft brush before tying it back up the way it had been yesterday. Lithuania sat Poland up then stepped back to admire his work. As usual, Poland looked finer than he.

Lithuanian balanced Poland on his left arm and placed the flat of his right hand on the child's back to support him. Poland grabbed the collar of Lithuania's t-shirt and then they were off downstairs.

The kitchen was immaculate, light and airy and hadn't changed since his last visit with the added exception of a new high chair for Baby Poland. _How much money has Miss Hungary spent on him in the last four days? _He really had to wonder as he'd heard babies were expensive. Lithuania stored Poland away in his high chair then went to check the cupboards. He shrieked, yes, shrieked as he opened the first. Row after row of tiny bottles were stacked one on top of the other, entirely filling the space. He opened the adjacent cupboard and found the same. The next was also full to capacity. And the next. And the next! There were literally _hundreds_ of bottles of puréed baby food.

Lithuania searched through the remaining cupboards and found that at least three of them contained the dried formula for Poland's milk. Lithuania concluded that either Hungary didn't like going out shopping so she bought things in bulk, or, Poland ate like a horse. But Hungary's note had stated that Poland was only eating one to fifteen baby spoonfuls of the puree a couple of times a day. Wasn't having hundreds of bottles of the stuff overkill?

Poland slapped the tray in front of him as if he were demanding to know where the hell his breakfast was. Lithuania apologized to him and seized a box of formula from the front of the cupboard and lifted the lid. This one was clearly in use as it wasn't sealed and was three quarters full. Rather than read the instructions on the container, he referred to Hungary's.

_Boil tap water and leave to cool for 30 minutes_

_Oh crap._ He was running later than he'd thought. Lithuania quickly retrieved a pan and plonked it on the modern stove cooker. It was 7:40am which meant the milk would be ready at 8:10-8:15am at the earliest. He stood around, biting his thumb, dreading the prospect of Poland possibly being in a bad temper all day if he wasn't fed soon. Lithuania swooped on the pan the second the water began to bubble. Next came the waiting game...

Pacing back and forth failed to make time move faster so he pulled up a chair in front of Poland and wondered what he should do to distract him for half an hour. They watched each other carefully. Lithuania was quite impressed with how Baby Poland was dealing with all of this; he didn't seem to be afraid of the Lithuanian man who had intruded on his life. He reached forward and tickled the kid's chin. Poland squirmed, in delight? He couldn't say. Baby Poland didn't express himself very well.

He kept his hand within Poland's reach to see what he would do. Poland raised his own hand, slowly at first, until the gap between them was almost non-existent, then he abruptly slapped the flat of his palm against the Lithuanian's and held it there. It was a high five. Lithuania sat stunned for a second before laughing.

"Well done! That's a high five" He smiled at Poland who looked like he still didn't understand it... Lithuania felt as though Poland was in a reasonably good mood... for now.

He heard a tummy rumble and realized it was his own. It wouldn't feel right, eating in front of a baby who'd had nothing, so he would wait. He could use the 'free' time he had now to get things ready for his meal. He gathered some bread, butter and eggs as well as a frying pan. Poland swivelled around in his chair, watching him. Lithuania put the kettle on so he could have a coffee. As he was drinking it, he was sure he heard the letter box. He collected Poland's mail and the morning paper and was mildly surprised as he didn't know Poland had newspapers delivered to his home. He doubted the blonde read them. He sat back down next to Baby Poland.

"I know last night I promised you today you would get a newspaper to eat. That's not going to happen." He paused to give Poland time to take it all in. "I'm afraid you'll have to suffer and eat normal food" He finished.

Poland wasn't listening. He was busy trying to take off his clothes. Lithuania jumped up and admonished him.

"No, Poland! You keep those on. You are not sitting around naked in November!" Though he actually thought that the month was irrelevant; he wouldn't have let Poland strip off in one of the summer months either. Lithuania held Poland's hands to stop him fiddling with the press studs. Rather than be upset, the baby began to bounce up and down on his bottom instead. At least they'd found something to do...

The longest thirty minutes in the history of waiting were finally over! Lithuania couldn't wait to give Poland his first bottle but only because he was a bit of a stickler for being on time and keeping to schedules. He added the recommended amount of formula and water to the bottle and gave it a good shake. Squirting a bit of the milk on his arm didn't satisfy him so he decided to check the temperature of the milk by tasting it. Lithuania did the most impolite thing he'd ever done in his life and spat the liquid all over the floor. It tasted terrible! He was having second thoughts about giving it to Poland but the infant was looking at the bottle like he'd struck gold.

Lithuania sighed and carried Poland into the living room so they could settle down on the sofa together. He laid Poland down in the crook of his arm. This felt like the right way to give a baby a bottle. Lithuania expected to be holding the bottle for him but Poland immediately snatched it with both hands and started guzzling it down. Lithuania stared at the petite nation in disbelief; how could he stomach that nasty stuff?

There was something very comforting about having a baby nestled against you; Lithuania found he didn't mind it at all. Closing his eyes, he felt more relaxed than he had in ages and listening to Poland making little sucking sounds almost put him to sleep. He kept himself awake by making a mental list of things to do and only opened his eyes when Poland suddenly stopped making a noise. He assumed the tot had fallen asleep as he almost had when in fact Poland was wide awake and staring at his empty bottle in discontent. He'd drunk the lot in less than ten minutes.

It made Lithuania a little more optimistic; the speed at which Poland had devoured his breakfast hopefully meant he had an appetite and wouldn't mind the shortness in time between this and his next feed which was due in half an hour. There was still the problem of when he'd get to feed himself; he'd planned to grab something now but he too cosy and too low on energy to move. Besides, Poland should be allowed time for his breakfast to settle. Or perhaps not... Poland was wriggling around all over. He was ready to go and do... anything! He gently patted Poland's tummy and tried to imagine adult Poland looking so alert at this hour and snorted at how implausible it sounded.

Lithuania decided he would have his breakfast now after all. He left Poland bouncing by himself in his high chair whilst he cleaned milk off the floor, did himself a couple of fried eggs, slices of toast and another coffee. When the grub was on the table, he could tell by the keen look in Poland's eye that he wanted the lot.

"You're not getting any of it. You don't even have any teeth" _Does he?_ _I'm not sticking my finger in there to find out..._ He made sure the cup and plates were well out of the baby's reach. Lithuania read the paper as he took a bite out of a slice of toast and tried to ignore Poland who was pouting. Typical. The first thing Poland _would_ learn to do is perfect his pout.

Lithuania tied a bib around Poland's neck. _Why are all of the bibs white?_ That seemed a bad choice of colour for something that was guaranteed to be stained several times a day. He picked up a red and orange baby's bowl and spoon that was on the counter beside a plethora of other vivid bowls and spoons. Porridge was simple and quick to make so he was glad it was Poland's next meal. Hungary had written that Poland liked it plain or he could add some finely cut, ripe pear to it if he wanted. He added some pear because adult Poland liked sweet things and what child didn't like sweet food?

The infant was completely focused on the bowl and jigging in anticipation. He'd opened his mouth wide before the man had even sat down. Baby Poland was an enthusiastic eater and gobbled half the bowl in no time at all. Hungary had forgotten to inform him of how much Poland was supposed to have. He was only supposed to have ten to fifteen spoons of the puree and he'd gone way past that number with the porridge. He didn't want to make the child sick.

"Shall we make that do?" He asked the baby. Poland didn't kick up a fuss when Lithuania walked away with his bowl so he assumed the boy was satisfied. There were wet wipes in the kitchen too so he used one to wash Poland's face. Then Lithuania washed everything; the tray, the counters, the plates, cups and cutlery and then he checked his watch. In two hours time, Poland was due another bottle. _We are definitely keeping to the schedule for the rest of today and we will be on time!_ He promised them both.

A precious two hours to do something, but what? He should probably get properly dressed. He could have a look around the place and see if Poland had any clothes that needed washing. Check his car to see if he'd left anything important in there. Lithuania's head shot up as he remembered he had left something important in the car; his passport and other documents were still there as well as his suitcases. He hadn't unpacked his things before he rushed over here which meant he had more clothes here than he'd originally thought. They just needed washing.

He plucked Poland out of his high chair and popped him back inside the cushion fortress in the living room; there he wouldn't have to worry about the child toppling over. Lithuania dashed outside to his car and shivered as it was quite chilly outside. In Warsaw the average temperature usually ranged between 1 – 6°C in November and it certainly felt like that at that moment. He picked up his two suitcases; one little, one large, and lugged them back into the house before setting them down near Poland who looked quite interested in them. _He probably wants to know what is inside and whether or not it will fit in his mouth _Lithuania thought, shaking his head. Poland wouldn't be getting into either of them.

Loud music suddenly startled them both. Lithuania turned round and round trying to hear which direction the noise was coming from. It was Poland's cell phone. Lithuania only had a rough idea of how it worked; he didn't own a cell phone because, although he thought they were practical for work, he didn't want to be contacted at all hours of the day and night by Poland. He pressed what he _hoped _was the right button.

"Hello? This is Lith... I mean, Poland's residence, how may I help?" He hoped the person calling wouldn't give his correction much thought.

The person on the other end of the line tsked. "You answer the phone like a working stiff, do you know that?"

"Miss Hungary?" He asked but he recognized it was her this time.

"Bingo. I just wondered how you were doing. I thought you'd have called me hours ago, in tears, to be honest" She admitted.

Lithuania smiled. "No, things have been going quite well actually. I'm afraid I slept in a little this morning so he got his bottle about forty minutes later than he should have but we're back on schedule now."

"How did feeding him go?"

"Good. He really wanted his milk and the porridge and he didn't make any mess" Lithuania was still pleased by how well things had gone.

"Yeah, he really likes those. You're going to have more trouble getting him to eat the pureed food, or rather, figuring out which one he wants. That's why there are so many bottles; I ended up opening anything up to five of them at a time and they only keep for a couple of days in the fridge." She explained. _So that's why there were so many bottles... _"He likes the fruit-flavoured ones the most but you should try to get the veggie ones into him too."

"He seemed to really want my breakfast too" Lithuania commented.

"Oh! He wanted mine too. He's just a greedy guts. He gets more than enough to eat, don't worry about it"She told him.

Lithuania asked "Would it be alright if I gave him some scrambled egg or something instead of porridge or the pureed food? Not all the time, just now and again"

"Yeah, that should be fine"

"And I was also wondering does Poland crawl?"

"I don't believe so, Lithuania... at least, I've never seen him do it"

"Okay..."

There was an awkward silence.

Hungary was the first to break it. "Well, if both of you are fine, I'll go and get on wi.."

"Oh! There is one thing I'd like to ask" Lithuania interrupted. "What do you do with him between feeds? I mean, how do you pass the time?"

"With Po? I bought him a load of toys but he doesn't seem to be interested in playing with them. He just tries to eat them. I'm afraid I kind of leave him alone with them or in amongst his cushions or in his crib when there's work to be done." She confessed. "I feel less guilty about it when he's taking a nap. If I have time we snuggle up and I read to him. Or I take him for walks outside in his stroller. We go to the park but he's not big enough to go on anything except for some of the swings"

She went on. "It's hard to juggle work and a baby when you're on your own like I was. But if you urgently need to get something done, I can come babysit for you"

"Thank you, Hungary. I appreciate it. I'll call if I need you and I think I'll try some of the things you just mentioned. See you soon?"

"Definitely! I miss my Babu, you know?" Lithuania could almost _feel _Hungary smiling through the phone. He heard a beep as the call ended.

* * *

A now fully dressed Lithuania stepped out of the en suite bathroom. He'd gotten changed in there again because he couldn't handle Baby Poland staring at him. Poland was sat in his crib and looked peeved that he'd been left behind. Lithuania tried (and failed) to tame his unruly hair with a brush and ended up tying it back. Poland always complained about his hair for two reasons, one, it always looked a mess, two, he hadn't changed his hairstyle in more than five hundred years. Poland looked like he was about to complain right now; his face was rather grumpy.

"I'm sorry I left you in here alone" He said as he stroked the boy's head. "Shall we go find your toys?"

Poland continued to look agitated and uncomfortable. Lithuania wondered... He hadn't asked Hungary how often Poland would need his diaper changing or what signs to look out for when he needed it done. He whipped Poland out of the crib and out of his clothes to check and discovered that Poland had soiled himself. No wonder he was unhappy. Lithuania had a fresh diaper on Poland in two minutes and he was pretty damn pleased with how fast he'd gotten in such a short amount of time. The child didn't look any happier, only less grumpy. Perhaps the usually vacant expression on Poland's face _was_ his 'happy face'?

Lithuania took Poland on a tour of his home as they went through each room searching for the toys Hungary had bought for him. Lithuania found a box of them in the last room he'd looked in, the room that, when he recalled Hungary's words, actually made the most sense; Poland's Study Room, where he usually did his paperwork. Hungary said she left Poland with his toys whilst she did her work. She must have borrowed the use of this room for that.

The room was quite spacious as it was large and contained little furniture. Filing cabinets and shelves were pressed up against the walls. Only a grand-looking writing desk and chair were permitted to stand in the middle of the room. Poland's laptop stuck out like a sore thumb on the desk. Modern technology looked so out of place in these old buildings with their quaint features and dated furniture. This brightly coloured box filled with playthings also looked like it didn't belong. A pile of cushions sat alongside it and when he peered at them from above he noticed they'd been arranged so as to form a crude, makeshift bed. Poland must have taken naps there while Hungary worked.

He sat Poland down and began to empty the box. There were little plastic blocks in every cheerful colour he could imagine. There was a menagerie of balls which were all different sizes and some were soft, some were hard. There were stuffed animals, toy cars and a set of jangly plastic keys... basically, lots of things Poland might enjoy sticking in his mouth. Lithuania couldn't think of any games they could play besides passing a ball between them or building something with the blocks.

Lithuania took a green block and placed it near Poland. The infant snatched the cube and began to suck on it. Lithuania grabbed half a dozen blocks and put them in a line; the foundations of a tower he planned on building for Poland. When he turned away to get more, however, Poland stole a couple and tried to cram them both in his mouth. Lithuania wrapped his arms around as many of the shapes as he could and dragged them all so they'd be closer to Poland. He reasoned that if the greedy tot had a mountain to himself to choose from, he might let him have a few to work with. The idea proved to be successful albeit for a short time. He managed to construct a small pyramid that survived for fifteen seconds; Poland destroyed it by taking an orange block from the centre.

Lithuania laughed out his exasperation and buried his head in his hands. When he looked back up, he found Poland was offering him the block he'd just pilfered. He took the proffered block and thanked the baby for letting him have it back then Poland went on a rampage. The tiny tearaway used all four limbs to swat at, slap and kick the pile of blocks all over. Lithuania didn't know what the blocks had done to deserve such treatment. Fortune shined briefly on one of them as it tumbled considerably further away than the rest but Poland noticed the escapee; he singled it out and pointed at it then looked to Lithuania for help in retrieving it.

"Go get it yourself, Poland. Go on" He nodded his head towards the block. He was determined to see if Poland was capable of crawling. Poland stared long and hard at the block but it wasn't coming back.

"Like this, Poland" Lithuania said as got on his hands and knees and shuffled forward. He crawled around the room to demonstrate how it should be done. He felt like a fool but Poland needed to be taught. He stopped at the block Poland had wanted and picked it up. _Ta da!_

Poland didn't seem that impressed with the display and made no attempt to move. The block just wasn't worth it; the prize had to be greater. _If he won't move for a toy he wants maybe he'll move for me?_ Lithuania doubted it as the baby didn't seem to be emotionally attached to him but maybe if he made himself look extremely interesting, like someone fun to be around,he could tempt the baby over?

He clapped once. "Poland! Po! Come here!" He shouted cheerfully and held out his arms as though to give the baby a cuddle. "Come here and I'll give you a big hug!"

Poland stared at him dumbly so he thought he'd try a different strategy. Lithuania pretended to collapse.

"Poland! I've fallen and I can't get up, save me!" He tried to sound as though he were in desperate need of help.

Poland tried to get his left foot in his mouth and toppled over backwards. Lithuania sighed then went to check if the youngster was alright. He hovered over the child, who was apparently content with sucking on his own toes, and asked him; "What am I going to do with you?"

Lithuania thought he should start boiling the water for Poland's next bottle feed and that was when he had a light bulb moment. _His bottle..._ Poland had relished in drinking his formula that morning; he loved the stuff. If food couldn't persuade Poland to crawl, then probably nothing would so Lithuania got up and ran to the kitchen to get the pan on the boil. He couldn't wait to try this out!

During the thirty minute wait, he flicked through some of Poland's paperwork to pass the time. He received the same kind of documents and it looked pretty straightforward. He might have to learn to forge Poland's signature very soon though. He pushed papers to the right and to the left, trying to create some kind of order for later when he'd have time to sit and read through them all properly but right now it was time for Poland's bottle and to test the child's willpower.

Lithuania prepped Poland first by sitting him upright. Poland stared after Lithuania's retreating form but wasn't worried. When the man returned, he seemed to be hiding something behind his back. Lithuania knelt on the floor and grinned at Poland.

"Po... Look what I have" He revealed the bottle.

Baby Po's eyes went wide with hope, joy and greed. He started jigging up and down as he reached out with both arms to try and take the lovely beverage but he was too far away. The male opposite him wasn't bringing him his milk! Baby Po was quickly getting frustrated.

Lithuania moved back a bit then got down onto his stomach so he was closer to being at eye level with Poland. "Come on. You can have it if you crawl over here"

Poland tilted himself forward, supporting much of his weight on his hands, and kicked his legs out behind him as he flopped onto his tummy until his posture almost matched Lithuania's. Then he raised his upper body using his arms, as though he were trying to do a push up. The sight of his bottle of milk spurring him on; one at a time, he pulled his knees under his pelvis. Poland moved his right hand forward, followed by his right knee. He repeated the motion on the other side of his body. It was extremely awkward and clunky and Poland was wobbling everywhere but he was doing it! He was crawling for the first time. Lithuania felt so proud of him it almost brought a tear to his eye.

Lithuania sat back up and let Poland crash into his lap. As soon as Poland touched him, he scooped the little boy up and made a huge fuss of him. "Oh my Lord! You did it! That was amazing, Po!"

Lithuania squeezed him tightly but not for very long as Poland was trying to wriggle free and frantically looking about him. He was trying to find his bottle.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Here you go" He handed Poland his prize. Poland crammed the teat into his mouth and sucked on it in earnest. Crawling was thirsty work. Lithuania predicted that this bottle wouldn't last five minutes. The babe he was still holding, slumped wearily back into Lithuania's arms. It seemed as though that tiny bit of activity had worn him out, or, formula milk could induce sleep so he laid Po down on his bed of cushions and watched as he started to doze with the bottle still in his mouth.

He simply had to tell Hungary what had happened!

He picked up Poland's cell phone and wished now that he knew how to use it. He caught sight of a small piece of paper where the phone had sat and found there were notes on how to make a call. He could tell from the writing they'd been left there by Hungary. _God bless that woman! _He called her at once.

"Hello, Lithuania? Is something the mat..." Hungary was cut off by an overly enthusiastic Lithuania.

"Poland crawled!" He announced jovially.

"Wha... Well, that's wonderful! But you're going to have to tell me more about that later, Lithuania. I'm heading out now with Austria"

"I'm sorry. I just needed to tell someone." He smiled into the phone.

She laughed. "It is very exciting news. He better do it for me when I next see him"

"We'll train everyday" Lithuania said in complete seriousness.

Hungary laughed louder. "Just don't forget he's a baby, not a soldier. Bye!" And with that she was gone.

* * *

Lithuania thought he should let Poland alone for a while so he could have a proper nap but what if the little lad overslept and they missed his next feeding time? Was he supposed to let him sleep for as long as he wanted or wake him up for his dinner? Perhaps he shouldn't be so strict and let Po decide.

Fortunately Po could keep time well and woke early of his own accord although Lithuania hadn't noticed until Poland had smashed his way through his sleeping accommodation and managed to crawl half way across the room. Lithuania was being to think he might regret encouraging the baby to learn how to get about on his own.

He picked him up. "Back into your high chair now for some dinner"

This was getting monotonous; all Po did was eat, eat, drink, eat, sleep, soil himself, eat... Lithuania chose a little purple and blue bowl and matching spoon this time and ventured back into the cupboards to select something for Poland. Now that he'd gotten over his initial shock of seeing so many bottles, upon taking time to look at the labels, he realized there was an astounding variety of flavours. There had to be twenty to thirty here. Butternut squash sounded interesting, he'd try Poland on that. He emptied the dark yellow gloop into the bowl and showed it to him.

"Mmm Poland! Doesn't this look yummy?" He was lying through his teeth; he thought it looked disgusting.

The baby inspected the bowl and frowned. Lithuania dipped the dinky spoon into the soft heap then offered it to Poland who responded by sealing his lips tight and turning his head away.

"Oh, come on! At least try a bit. Please? Pretty please?" He asked, sweetly. He tried again but Poland only turned away further and scrunched his eyes closed.

Lithuania persisted. "Look! I'll try some!"

He made sure that the baby was watching him as the spoon disappeared into his mouth. It tasted surprisingly nice. Very sweet. He helped himself to another spoonful.

"Well if you don't want this, Po, I'm having it" He announced to the tot. Poland looked dumbfounded. Lithuania was about to take in another spoonful when Poland suddenly reached for the bowl. Lithuania pulled the bowl away, not to be mean, but in case he knocked it over.

Lithuania grinned. "So now you'd like some?" Baby Poland was proving easier to control than he'd thought. This time when he was offered the puree, Poland leaned forward and opened his mouth wide. As he closed his mouth, some of the moist food dribbled out and Lithuania caught it with the spoon. Poland mulled over what he'd been given for a while then opened his mouth wide again. _Success!_Poland swallowed spoon after spoon of the squash and Lithuania realized a few minutes later that he'd probably had more than the ten to fifteen spoonfuls Hungary had recommended. Poland was going to be a little fatty if they kept this up.

* * *

Doing mundane tasks was the daily norm for the Lithuanian and he was bored with it all. He would tackle his paperwork, and now Poland's, because his responsible nature wouldn't let him shirk his duties. But his workload made him feel old before his time. Right now he'd quite like to join Poland in raging war on his toys; the adorable little nuisance was busy assaulting them again and he wasn't being quiet about it either. There was no way Lithuania could work in these conditions; Poland was going to have to move out.

Lithuania transferred all of Poland's toys into the living room opposite the study and made sure there was nothing within Poland's reach that could harm him or fall on top of him. There were a few obstacles, namely a coffee table and the sofa and chairs that Poland could practise crawling around. He hoped that the baby could entertain himself for an hour or so. The first thing Baby Po did bump his head as he crawled into one of the chairs.

"Po!" He dropped to the floor beside the youngster and checked to see if he was okay. "Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?"

Poland looked fine. He clumsily turned himself around and set off in the opposite direction where he banged his head off the table. Now that had to have hurt! Lithuania caught up with Poland again to see if he was crying or if there was a mark on his forehead but the baby seemed oblivious to any pain, if he felt any at all. Lithuania watched as Baby Po shouldered the table, fell against the wall and bumped his head on the sofa this time... Was it possible for a baby to be so ditzy and not seriously injure themselves? Poland may have been unaffected by all of his little accidents but Lithuania fretted over it. _What can I do? _When Poland stumbled over into a pile of cushions, Lithuania found an answer. He'd need to pop out for a little while though and Poland couldn't come with him as he didn't have a baby's car seat. Lithuania had seen many adverts promoting child safety, including the unpleasant ones which showed unstrapped children being thrown through windscreens. He scooped Poland up, ran with him upstairs and placed him in his crib.

"I'm sorry, Po. I'll be back soon!" He called over his shoulder as he dashed back out.

* * *

Anyone who happened to have travelling around Warsaw that day might have been lucky enough to witness the peculiar sight of a car filled to the roof with cushions and pillows. Lithuania considered himself lucky that he wasn't chased by the police.

* * *

He was relieved to find Poland hadn't escaped from his crib while he'd been gone. He was ashamed with himself for leaving the baby unattended for forty five minutes but felt sure the items he'd purchased would make up for his indiscretion. For one thing, he'd bought a baby's car seat so Poland could travel with him, in safety, in future. Lithuania also had safety in mind when he'd emptied the stores of rolls of bubble wrap and almost a hundred bed pillows and scatter cushions.

He brought Poland down with him so he could watch as Lithuania got to work baby proofing the living room. By the time he had finished, Lithuania had completely covered the table and any corners he could find in bubble wrap. He created a soft barrier using the pillows that was almost on par with the Great Wall of China except his wall was comfortable and circular. Scatter cushions were strewn about the floor in the hope that if Poland happened to collapse, he'd land softly on one of them. Finally, any remaining pillows were used to block doorways and hide wall sockets. Thus, the living room became the padded room.

Baby Po charged about the place on his hands and knees and happily tackled anything he saw without feeling a thing. Lithuania deemed this to be one of his greatest achievements in most recent times. He had left a small hole in the Great Wall of Warsaw, a thoughtful touch, so that Po could creep out on occasion and see him if he wanted. Poland seemed to be enjoying his little sanctuary too much to notice it though.

However, Poland did notice Lithuania step out of the room to start preparing his next bottle. The baby had gotten used to the routine the strange lady who was here before had put him through and he was starting to feel hungry again so his bottle _must_ be due. He watched the tall man return empty handed. Baby Po made his way over to the wall of pillows and tested it's strength with his hands. Pillows were quite a bit bigger and heavier than scatter cushions and Lithuania had arranged them so that they overlapped like the walls of a house made from bricks. It would be difficult to make this wall topple over.

Lithuania watched Poland inch his way around the boundary until he came to the gap he had left there deliberately. Baby Po shuffled through, sat down and stared at the hole, fascinated. He went back through it and inspected it again from the inside. Then he came back out and gave it another good look.

Lithuania chuckled to himself. "Is it worth that much thought?"

Upon hearing the man's voice, Poland remembered why he'd left his snug little den; to see if that tall thing had his milk. Lithuania had just turned to leave and go fetch it and Poland started after him. Lithuania was a little surprised to see the child following him but didn't stop to wait for him; after all, Poland was somewhere safe and he'd be back in mere seconds with his next feed. He watched in amused shock as Poland clambered over the two pillows obstructing the doorway and continued to pursue him. Baby Po wasn't going to let him get away.

In the time it took Lithuania to mix the water and dried formula together to create Poland's drink, the baby had reached him and sat clinging to his trouser leg. _Got you now, you milk thief!_ Unfortunately, Lithuania confused Poland's mistrust of him with his food for the child suddenly becoming very attached to him.

"I like you too, Po" He said as he picked him up and held him close. Poland pointed at his bottle.

"Yes, you're getting that now. Let's go sit on the sofa again, shall we?" Lithuania let Poland carry his bottle while Poland let Lithuania carry him.

Laid out on the sofa, Lithuania felt like taking a nap. Watching Baby Po dozing off always made him feel sleepy. He could leave the little one to it and go and get some work done but whenever he looked at that sweet cherub's face for too long he found he didn't want to go anywhere. He kept forgetting this was the same selfish man who used and insulted him for centuries before letting Russia take him away. The same man who looked down on _everything_ that made him Lithuania. The same man who, to this day, _never_ listened to him and picked fights with him. But also... he was the same man who had stuck by him the longest and had given Lithuania the most reasons to smile and insisted it was okay to be silly at times. He truly enjoyed being around Poland because he was his best friend and he loved him as such. _Baby Po might be a little nicer and cuter though..._ he thought as he joined Poland in the land of nod.

Lithuania woke slowly. Something was strange... His nose felt strangely wet and like something was on it. He opened his eyes and froze, startled by the unexpected vision of two bright, green orbs an inch away from his own. Poland was sucking on his nose and there was drool everywhere, some of it was dripping onto Lithuania's upper lip.

"Gah!" He grunted as he pushed the baby away gently and wiped his nose and mouth. He threw a disturbed look at Poland who had turned around and was now making his way to Lithuania's feet. He was struggling to crawl on the uneven surface and Baby Po's hand came down a little too hard on Lithuania's genitals.

"AH! Poland, careful!" He yelped as he grabbed the tot and dumped him unceremoniously onto the carpet. _What a way to wake someone!_ Baby Poland pushed his bottom lip out and he sulked.

Lithuania got down on the floor with him and apologized at once "I'm sorry, Po! But that hurt!"

Poland fidgeted and pulled at his clothes looking troubled and Lithuania had a feeling that he wasn't the reason the little boy was looking glum.

"You've had a little accident, haven't you?" Lithuania wondered if that was why he'd woken him.

As Lithuania changed another diaper he decided that the pair of them could do with some fresh air. They wouldn't be going far; just to his vehicle to fit and test out the baby's car seat he'd bought earlier, still, Poland would have to don some warmer clothing. He found a knitted outfit complete with woollen bobble hat and gloves and a tiny pair of booties and once the baby was in them, he looked catalogue cute.

When Lithuania stepped out onto the porch, he carried Poland high, so that the boy was almost sat on top of his shoulder. Adult Poland liked flying and high places and to feel the wind in his face and as an infant he didn't seem to mind it much either. That was until a particularly strong gust of wind blew directly into his face and made him jolt and cling onto Lithuania's hair. Lithuania lowered him but Poland wouldn't loosen his grip on his long, brown locks. _Soft!_ The baby decided he wanted more as he crammed two fistfuls in his mouth so he could grab even more with his hands.

"Ow!" Lithuania gritted his teeth. "Po, that hurts". He struggled with one hand to wrestle his hair free from Poland's fists and jaw and when he succeeded, Poland looked disgruntled. _This tall thing stole my milk and my soft! _

Lithuania caught the look. "We don't eat or pull people's hair, Po. That's naughty!" He waggled his index finger at Poland as he scolded him.

Poland grasped the finger tightly and looked at Lithuania as though he were challenging him, however, Lithuania didn't see it that way; he thought it was a sweet gesture and it made his heart melt. He couldn't stay mad at him for longer than five seconds. Now, to see if he could make Baby Poland interested in cars. Lithuania felt that Po needed some masculine hobbies and he'd really wanted to teach him basketball but he didn't see how he could so this was his plan B.

He circled the vehicle and pointed out the various parts to the boy before placing him on the hood of the car. Poland sat still and patted the surface he was on and found it made an interesting noise. He hit it a bit harder and kicked his legs happily, tickled by the metallic sounds and vibration while Lithuania worried about dents. Poland went for an energetic crawl around the tiny space, enjoying the noise he created as he went. Lithuania followed him around to make sure he didn't fall off.

When Poland made a move to pull off one of the windshield wipers, Lithuania had had enough and put him in the driver's seat instead. He kept his keys in his pocket because he couldn't guarantee Poland wouldn't figure out how to start the engine. He fixed the car seat in place while Poland tugged on a seat belt. When he was sure the seat was securely fastened, he placed Poland in it, got behind the steering wheel and then took them for a spin around the large parking area. Poland was so quiet that Lithuania imagined he'd be easy to travel with and he'd already decided they would go out somewhere tomorrow.

* * *

Hungary had said he should try to make Poland eat some veggies but that he didn't particularly like them very much. So far Poland had been very good for him, as far as food was concerned, but that was because Lithuania had only given him things he liked. He expected Poland to fight him a little but, really, how badly behaved could a baby be? The answer was very.

Lithuania used a damp cloth to quickly clear the kitchen floor of debris. Poland had thrown his bowl of pureed green beans everywhere and that was the second dish he'd tossed. Lithuania had tried him on carrots first. Poland had closed his eyes and turned away, which was same response he'd initially given to the butternut squash he'd eventually gobbled. Poland had only shown interest in that after Lithuania began to eat it so he'd tried the same approach again, this time with the carrot puree. He'd swallowed two to three spoons of it and told the disbelieving child that it was delicious. It hadn't been that nice really; not terrible but not nearly as good as the fruit flavoured puree they'd eaten at lunch. Poland was persuaded to try a tiny bite but he spat it all back up.

When Lithuania got a little too pushy and tried to make Poland taste it again, the angry tot tipped the bowl over him and the floor but Lithuania never lost his temper with him. He cleaned himself off and offered the baby a bottle of something else and they went down as well as the carrots had. Lithuania decided he'd try one more bottle before giving in to Poland and letting him have fruit; there was no point wasting all this food. There were a few jars that contained a combination of flavours and Lithuania discovered one that had veggies _and_ fruit in it. Carrot and Swede with Peach. This could possibly be considered cheating but if Poland would eat it hopefully the world wouldn't judge him too harshly.

Lithuania sat down and helped himself to some of the new blend. He'd taken to taste testing every puree before offering Poland some of it and this one was peculiar so he expected Poland to reject it. The baby almost reluctantly opened his mouth and in went the food. Poland mulled over it for a while, chewing slowly. Lithuania could tell he wasn't overwhelmed by the taste and he was surprised when he indicated that he'd like some more; it was as if the child had come to the conclusion that it wasn't going to get any better than this so he'd have to make do.

When Poland finished, Lithuania praised him and gave him some banana slices. Poland perked up as he crammed the fruit into his mouth, two or three slices at a time. _What a glutton._ Still, Poland made the cutest faces whenever he got to devour his favourite foods. He'd close his eyes and just smile; a self-satisfied, dreamy smile where the corners of his mouth would raise so high it looked like someone had drawn a wide letter 'U' on his face.

Despite having eaten more than he should have all day, Poland still wanted Lithuania's meal as well. Lithuania found looking at the youngster's begging face unbearable so he turned his back to him whilst he ate. It made him feel terribly guilty. But, seriously, what was with Baby Poland's food obsession? Adult Poland liked to eat; he would regularly be seen pigging out on polish snacks. And paluszki to Poland was like cat nip is to cats but Baby Poland's appetite was on a whole other level! He'd have to buy him a treadmill and make him crawl on it for a couple of hours to make sure he kept off the pounds.

Before he set about washing dishes and cleaning the floor properly, he freed Poland from his chair and watched as he escaped down the hall. He seemed to be returning to the padded room so he had no concerns. That is, until he entered the room and couldn't see the boy anywhere. Lithuania jumped the pillow wall repeatedly as he searched inside and out of the round play area. He searched under the table and behind the chairs.

"Po!?" He shouted although there was little chance of the decisively mute youngster answering him.

Out of the corner of his eye he thought he a saw the pile of scatter cushions move. When he peered carefully he could see a small foot was sticking out of them. With a knowing look, he knelt down and took a pair of cushions from the top of the pile to reveal Baby Po's eyes which were wide and innocent. He started sucking on his thumb and played the 'cute card.'

"You. Did that on purpose to make me worried" Lithuania accused him. "And I think it's time for your bath" Poland was looking a little grubby. Secretly, Lithuania hoped Poland didn't like baths very much then it would serve as a punishment for almost giving him a heart attack.

* * *

Baby Poland had found something in the bathroom that he liked to wear; his birthday suit. He was perfectly happy sat naked in the shower and was knocking over bottles of shampoo whilst Lithuania ran him a shallow bath. Lithuania discovered there was a small collection of bath toys at hand including little boats and rubber ducks, a ball and a water pistol. Feeling mischievous, he filled the plastic toy gun with warm water, snuck his arm around the shower and squirted Poland with it. Adult Poland often waited for him to get out of a warm bath or shower before spraying ice cold water at him so this was payback. But Baby Poland actually seemed pleased by the surprise attack. _How disappointing..._

Poland kicked at the water as Lithuania lowered him into it, when it was within the reach of his hands, Poland took to slapping it. Water was flying everywhere. Lithuania's shirt was getting drenched but he didn't care to remove it though he thought he'd better engage Poland in some kind of play to spare the poor bathroom floor. He gave the splashy baby a boat, which he promptly sank.

"You might well be the most dangerous thing known to man, Po"

The second boat he handed over was violently thrown at the water to generate some more colossal splashing. Gentle play was never going to be on the agenda. Lithuania carefully lined up the seven rubber ducks on the edge of the bath and when Poland turned and looked up, he found he had an audience of birds and the tall thing. He pushed one of the ducks off which Lithuania immediately put back. The baby pushed at another and managed to take two out at once and, again, Lithuania returned them to their original positions. On his next turn, Poland decided to pull one into the water and shove the remaining six off and onto the floor. Soon, ducks where being thrown, shoved or drowned in each and every direction by the two males. Lithuania had never laughed so hard in his life.

_Oh crap. _The water was cooling fast and he hadn't he begun to wash Poland. They were both a little disappointed when the toys had to go away; Lithuania put them back in the box so they wouldn't feel tempted. He picked up a little plastic pitcher.

"We need to do your hair now, Po" He said as he released the damp strands from their ribbon. He held one hand over Poland's eyes as he let water trickle down over his head, then he gently massaged in some baby shampoo. Poland's hands kept getting in the way as he tried to feel what was going on up there and he marvelled at his hands when they returned covered in foam and bubbles. Lithuania figured he'd better rinse them off soon, preferably before Poland tried to eat the shampoo. He covered the baby's eyes again and quickly rid his head and his hands of the bubbly suds then he rubbed Poland all over with a flannel.

He picked the thickest, snuggest towel he could find and wrapped Poland in it so only his face was visible then he carried him over to the bed and placed him in the centre. When Lithuania turned to grab the hairdryer, Poland tumbled over inside his cocoon and tried to wriggle free. Lithuania returned, loosened the towel a little bit and plonked the boy on his lap. Poland squirmed and waved his arms around as Lithuania tried to dry his hair and the man couldn't tell if Poland was enjoying it, if he was still overexcited from their play or if he simply hated having his hair dried.

Lithuania selected a clean yellow suit for Poland to wear; he was going to avoid dressing the boy in pink altogether if he could get away with it. He did allow Poland to keep his pink hair ribbon but only because he hadn't found any extras about the room.

"I bet you're ready for your last bottle of milk, aren't you?" He asked. Upon hearing the words 'bottle' and 'milk,' Poland abruptly turned to face him.

"Oh so you know that word but you don't know your own name?" Since he'd arrived, Poland had ignored him every time he called him. He didn't respond to 'Poland,' 'Po' or that cutesy word Hungary had invented; 'Babu'.

Poland jigged in Lithuania's arms as he carried him downstairs to make his precious baby milk. Lithuania still didn't understand why Poland thought so highly of the stuff. He held the youngster close as he took the bubbling pan off the stove.

"Would you like me to tell you a story while we wait?" He thought it was about time the infant started winding down; there was no way he'd sleep tonight if he kept wriggling about, getting hyped up on milk. He assumed that Poland was too young to appreciate a good book and that whatever he said to him would be fine, as long as he spoke to him quietly.

"Once upon a time, there was a noisy, spoilt little prince named Poland" He paused to see if the baby had looked at him when he mentioned his name, the little thing hadn't even blinked. Lithuania sighed and continued.

"Poland was as eccentric as he was lazy and one day he'd decided that his entire house should be painted pink both inside and out. As I just mentioned, Poland was very lazy so he needed help, or rather, someone to do everything for him. So, he summoned his best friend, a handsome knight called Lithuania" Lithuania thought this was a good story.

"Lithuania was a good friend to Poland and also very hard-working, patient and willing to help others so when Poland asked for his help, he immediately said yes. Lithuania ended up painting everything by himself whilst Poland ate and slept. It took him hours and he ruined his clothes but he felt sure Poland would appreciate his hard work. However, when Poland woke and saw his pink house he told Lithuania he didn't like that colour after all and asked that he paint everything white again so poor Lithuania had to do it all again. Lithuania wasn't very happy. But when he'd finished, Poland rewarded him with a big hug and that made it all better. Almost." He finished.

It seemed Baby Poland had no recollection of what he'd put Lithuania through when he was an adult so the story, which happened to be true (mostly true, he wasn't a knight at the time), failed to provoke a reaction. He placed Poland in his high chair so he could free up his hands to mix his formula. Poland was back to bouncing as he kept his eyes on the bottle he'd soon be holding.

Lithuania had decided that, since Poland was supposed to go to sleep after his last bottle, he'd give it to him on the bed. He lay with Poland in the crook of his arm again and let the youngster chug down his drink as he held him securely. The baby had settled down nicely; he could tell from the way his eyelids had drooped that Poland would soon drop off to sleep. Or so he thought. When he finished his bottle, he chucked it away and started fidgeting instead. Lithuania let out a deep breath.

"Poland, what are you doing? It's sleepy time."

Poland squirmed about some more and wriggled and shuffled his way onto his stomach. Then he crawled up Lithuania's chest until they were face to face. He stared long and hard into the man's eyes before latching onto his nose. Poland let himself flop onto Lithuania and contentedly suckled away.

"So, you really like my nose now?" The Lithuanian asked.

One of Lithuania's body hang-ups was his nose; he thought it was too big. Apparently a lot of people did. He'd been bullied about it countless times and Lithuania, being so sensitive to what others thought of him, had taken their cruel comments to heart. Once, even Poland had jokingly mocked his nose. The blonde had said he didn't like it because it was so big and that had upset the Lithuanian a lot. He hadn't said anything but he must have looked very sad because the usually oblivious Polish man had realized on his own for once that he'd gone too far. He'd apologized to Lithuania unreservedly and told him it was a joke and that his thought his nose was cute. Lithuania hadn't believed him.

Lithuania could tell that Baby Poland had finally fallen asleep, so he carefully, slowly, detached the infant from his nose and placed him in his crib. He smiled at the youngster as he tucked him in and stroked his hair.

With Poland fast asleep upstairs, it was now Lithuania's chance to do more or less whatever he wanted. So he made himself a sandwich and did some paperwork. His own work was probably piling up on his desk back home and he'd just left the place to run itself. That was no good; he'd have to go back soon and he'd have to take Poland with him. He thought that he could alternate between the two countries every couple of days. If he travelled by plane, his journey time would be reduced to two hours. The only problem was all of Poland's things were here and he couldn't lug them all back and forth like that. _I could buy everything again though..._ he mused.

That settled it. The day after tomorrow he would be returning to Vilnius for two days. He'd take the earliest possible flight so that when he got home he'd have all day to buy in the things Poland would need. Tomorrow morning he'd tell Hungary and ask if she wanted to spend a few hours with Poland before they left.

* * *

Lithuania was in bed by 10:38pm and as he began to switch off he thought about everything he'd done that day. He was confused. The day had felt long and short at the same time. He'd been on the go all day, taking care of Poland but he didn't feel as exhausted as he would have if he'd been at home alone. _Time is strange like that..._he thought as he drifted off to sleep.


	3. Being a Single 'Dad'

**Chapter 3: Being a Single 'Dad'**

November 6th

That morning, Lithuania practically walked through Baby Poland's daily routine with his eyes closed; he'd memorized everything that had to be done and when it should be done, in less than a day. A couple of things had gone wrong. When changing Poland's diaper he'd neglected to keep an eye on the baby's hands which found and emptied an entire container of baby powder onto the bedroom carpet. A few minutes later, he'd put Poland on the bedroom floor for a crawl and promptly lost him. Fortunately, he managed to find him again before he took a tumble down the stairs; he had literally been about to try get down the first step which most likely would have ended in disaster.

After he'd retrieved Poland, who was washed, dressed and clearly raring to go, Lithuania had shut the bedroom door tight and went for a shower. He'd left the door to the en suite bathroom open because he hadn't wanted to worry the baby by shutting him away somewhere on his own but when he'd stepped, dripping wet, out of the shower, he'd been horrified to find Poland sat at his feet, staring at his naked body in complete silence. What was more unsettling was the fact that the baby seemed to be completely focused on his manhood. Lithuania could easily have died from embarrassment but instead opted for dropping a towel onto Poland's head which had given him time to flee and hide his modesty.

Lithuania was still blushing, thinking about it now as he prepared Poland's second bottle. Today the pair of them were going to the park. They could both do with getting out the house and he wanted to see Poland on the swings. He wasn't sure how long their excursion would last so he'd filled a huge bag with diapers, a spare set of clothes, a dozen bottles of pureed baby food (hopefully Poland would find at least one of them agreeable) and just before they set off he'd fill a thermos flask with boiling water so Poland could have his formula milk.

Poland was on the floor, mauling cushions, when Lithuania brought his milk to him. Since the tot could drink by himself, Lithuania planned to use his 'free' time to phone Hungary and see if she would be able to visit today. Lithuania dialled Hungary's home phone and listened out for the sound of someone picking up the receiver.

"Hello Miss Hungary?"

"Who is this?" An irritable sounding man had answered. It must be Austria.

Lithuania kept calm and responded politely. "Is that Mr Austria? This is Lithuania. Please excuse me for disturbing you."

"Lithuania? What do you want with Hungary?" The man sounded suspicious of him. He wasn't sure why.

"Er... You see, I happened to drop in on Poland while Miss Hungary was there and I'm afraid that Miss Hungary may have accidently taken some important paperwork of mine" He was making this up on the spot. "I need it back today if possible. Could you ask Miss Hungary if she has a document with 'Babu' written on it and if she could bring it to Poland?"

"Babu...?" Austria repeated.

"Yes, that's it, you are pronouncing it correctly"

Lithuania thought that Austria didn't sound like a very co-operative man. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Austria cut him off and wouldn't let him speak with Hungary.

"Austria, who is on the phone?" He could hear Hungary's muffled voice in the background. _Lucky!_

"Lithuania" Austria answered.

He could hear Hungary acting surprised. "Really? So unusual of him to call... Pass me the phone. Hello Lithuania? Is something wrong?"

"I told Mr. Austria you might have accidentally picked up some paperwork of mine with 'Babu' written on it. Can you play along? If he's still within ear shot..." He whispered into the phone.

"Why, I'm afraid I do have those papers of yours, Lithuania! I just noticed them this morning, sorry" Hungary sounded very convincing.

"I'm planning on going home for a couple of days, I wondered if you'd like to see Poland before we leave. Can you come over today?" He asked hurriedly.

"Absolutely! I'll catch the next available flight to Warsaw and bring them to you"

"I planned to take Poland out for a bit today. I'll leave a key under one of the flower pots just in case you arrive before we've returned. Is that okay?"

"Aha. Yes. Okay. I'm on my way now. See you shortly."

With that, Hungary ended the call. Lithuania breathed out slowly. He felt nervous about other countries potentially finding out about Poland and he felt sorry for Hungary; keeping secrets from Austria must be difficult for her. Austria seemed like the kind of man who had to know about everything she did and he doubted the woman enjoyed lying to him to protect her friends. He tried to push his worries aside and went to check on Poland.

The little clown had finished his bottle and was rolling around on the floor, something adult Poland still liked to do in front of a certain concerned Lithuanian. Lithuania caught Poland mid-turn and sat him on the sofa so he could dress him in extra, warmer layers. He'd found a very smart looking knitted outfit for him complete with matching hat. The ensemble was ivory and taupe in colour and it made Poland look like a proper little gentleman which kind of clashed with his personality at the moment. Lithuania pulled his own coat on and off they went.

* * *

Lithuania fought hard with the collapsible baby stroller which refused to unfold. It was embarrassing to let such a thing get the better of you and more than a few people stopped to stare at him as he struggled. Finally, one kind woman stepped in to help him and teach him what he should do. He was immensely grateful but she'd given him a funny look when he, without thinking, thanked her in Lithuanian. He hastily thanked her again in Polish, rushed Poland into the stroller then sped off.

_Speak in Polish... Speak in Polish... Speak in Polish... Speak in Polish..._ He told himself over and over.

Unless he wanted to draw attention to the pair of them, he'd better remember to use the right language. All of the countries spoke at least two languages; their own, of course, and also the universal language known as Lande. The former was what they passed onto their people, while the latter enabled all the countries of the world to communicate with each other. It was how Lithuania had been able to speak with Hungary; after all, he didn't know any Hungarian. Lithuania could speak Polish as well as he could Lithuanian and Lande and he'd made a special effort to remember and use some Latvian and Estonian because it made his Baltic brothers happy. He also knew how to speak English because of the time he spent with Mr. America and he'd been forced to learn Russian but he was admittedly poor at it, possibly because he hadn't any desire to learn it.

Lithuania was deep in thought as he walked. Thinking about language again and the naming of things and people, how should he refer to Poland? If someone were to ask him for 'his' child's name he couldn't answer 'Poland' or 'Po.' And he _wouldn't_ call him Feliks in front of others.

Even in modern times, people were unaware that their country's had human forms. It was difficult to put into words but they were like the embodiment of the spirit of a nation. They were the heart and soul. People were also unaware that their country's had other names. A country's 'face name' was known to all; Poland and Lithuania were such names. But each of them also had a very special name that was given to them at birth. They were originally called 'birth' names but were later referred to as 'heart' names because, many eons ago, before Lithuania was born, a tradition began which stated that a heart name may only be shared with relatives, lovers and extremely close friends; people who love you with all their heart. It was a romantic, sentimental tradition which was still strictly obeyed.

Feliks was Poland's heart name and it had meant a great deal to Lithuania when the blonde's secret name was divulged to him. There was nothing spectacular about the way Poland had delivered it to him. They had just formed the commonwealth, but had known each other for much longer and he recalled that they were sat side by side in the middle of the rye fields one ordinary day, silently enjoying the sunny weather when Poland suddenly said "I'm Feliks." And that was it.

Lithuania remembered that he was so shocked at the time he wasn't even able to say anything at first. When he'd collected his thoughts, he debated revealing his own heart name to Poland because he thought it was only polite that he should do so. He didn't know why, maybe Poland could tell what he was thinking, but he had turned sharply to face him, fixed him with a stern look and told him: "Don't tell me your name unless you _really_ want me to know it. You'll ruin it."

He never gave Poland his heart name that day. It happened several decades later when the commonwealth had been involved in yet another bloody war. They were victorious though battered and bruised, standing proud alongside their men on their charcoaled fields. As Poland passed by him, he announced, in a voice that was just loud enough for his partner to hear, "I am Toris". Poland had called back over his shoulder "It doesn't suit you" then continued to walk with a cheeky smile on his face.

They rarely called one another by their heart names though he wasn't sure why. Sometimes he called Poland 'Feliks' when the blonde was feeling very miserable and needed comforting, which wasn't very often. The name Feliks meant 'happy' and it suited Poland very well.

Now, what was he to call Baby Poland? Lithuania didn't know many Polish names and felt sure the ones he did know would probably be out of place in today's society. He could give him a Lithuanian name and tell people that he was from Lithuania and had a Polish wife. Oh the lies he was going to tell.

He could call him Feliksas. No, it sounded too close to Poland's true heart name. Felis? Felius? They sounded very similar as well. _Perhaps I should just avoid names beginning with the letter 'F' altogether... _He thought harder.

Twenty minutes later, Lithuania still hadn't come up with a suitable name for Poland. Did it really matter what he was called? It was only a temporary alias after all and Baby Poland wasn't going to disagree with him in front of anyone; he couldn't talk. They were fast approaching the playground and there were plenty of parents already there with their offspring.

"Po, from now on you are Kęstutis" The name meant 'to cope' and Poland would have to cope with being saddled with it. Poland ignored him and continued to unbutton his little coat. _When had he started undressing himself? _Lithuania stopped briefly to put an end to the baby's attempted striptease.

"No, Kęstutis" He chided the boy whilst grinning at the name he'd given him mere minutes ago. Today was going to be fun.

* * *

_Today is going to be daunting... _Lithuania thought to himself. He was beginning to feel very intimidated by the other parents, who all seemed to be staring at him. He couldn't even relax and act normally around Poland because he felt his every move was being scrutinized. Lithuania thought he'd already identified _why_ he was being stared at; he was the only adult male in the playground. All of the children in the park had been brought by their mothers or grandmothers, except for Poland, of course.

Lithuania shifted uncomfortably and pretended to be looking for something inside his bag. Poland couldn't settle either; he wanted to get out of his stroller. Lithuania came to the decision that he was being stupid; they had every right to be there and he wasn't going to let a bunch of gossips make him turn tail and run. He picked Poland up and slowly walked him through the playground whilst watching the child's reactions to see if anything interested him. He tried to ignore the women who were speaking in whispers and looking directly at him. Poland suddenly began to jig excitedly in his arms and was pointing at something. It was a group of spring riders; essentially, animals sat atop a giant coil that young children could bounce and rock on. One in particular had caught the baby's fancy; it was a yellow unicorn with a sky blue saddle.

He wasn't certain Poland was old enough to be on a spring rider as he attempted to hold Poland in place and persuade the unicorn to rock back and forth. The coil was actually pretty stiff and not that easy to move but he eventually managed to get it to gently tilt in a slow, steady rhythm. Poland looked so excited you'd have thought he was doing a hundred miles per hour.

He was surprised to hear giggling behind him and, remembering not to take his hands off the baby, craned his neck and upper body to see who the sound was coming from. It was a young woman with her child still strapped in its stroller.

"She really likes that" She nodded towards Poland who certainly was enjoying himself.

"It's a He" Lithuania responded.

"Oh! Sorry! I get it wrong all the time." The woman immediately apologized then added "He's beautiful"

"It's quite alright and thank you. Yours is very cute too. A girl?"

She nodded. "Her name is Felicia"

Lithuania jumped at the familiar sounding name; for one heart-stopping second he'd heard 'Feliks' and thought they'd been discovered. _Of all the names in the world, why does this baby have to be called that!? _He looked up. The Polish woman hadn't missed his strange reaction and was looking at quizzically.

"I'm sorry! I was startled because that is my wife's name and I thought it was quite an uncommon name to have" He laughed nervously. He hoped his lie sounded convincing.

"Oh!" She laughed too then offered her name. "My name is Anna. What are yours and his?" She pointed at Poland.

Lithuania realized in horror that he'd only come up with an alias for Poland and not himself. Of course he wasn't going to give her his heart name so told her the first name he could think of; a popular Lithuanian singer, whose music he enjoyed. "My name is Marijonas and his is Kęstutis" He replied quickly.

Anna was looking at him strangely again but not asking any questions so he elected to leap in with an explanation; "We are Lithuanian. Well, I am. My wife is Polish so Kęstutis is half and half"

"Ah. That explains your accent as well." She smiled at him. Anna got her own baby out of her stroller, took up position beside Lithuania and carefully placed her astride a purple hippo spring rider. Apparently she'd decided he was acceptable company.

They talked about parenting and their children. Anna was particularly amused by his stories regarding Poland's eating habits and also the extreme measures he had taken to stop Poland bumping into things. Lithuania established that Poland was at a similar stage in his development to Anna's daughter. He wondered if the two children would play together but when Anna held Felicia in front of Poland, he turned away from her and buried his face in Lithuania's coat.

Lithuania sighed. "He's as shy as ever." Thankfully, Anna wasn't offended, in fact, she thought it was hilarious.

As they moved over to the swing sets, Lithuania explained that this was their first time in this park and he'd felt a little bit isolated, almost unwelcome, by the woman that were there.

Anna scoffed. "Ignore them! They need to move on and accept that in these modern times, being a hands-on dad is acceptable. And you seem pretty good at it"

Lithuania was embarrassed by the compliment. "I try to be"

"I hope you don't mind me asking but... where is your wife? Are you having marital problems?" Anna was looking at him as though she expected him to start crying and admit that his wife had run off with another man.

"What?! No!" He cried out in surprise. Now he'd have to think fast and come up with a believable story. "She's in hospital. She was involved in a car accident and some of her bones were broken. There were also internal injuries. Nothing life threatening but she'll be in there for a few weeks yet."

Anna cried out. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry!"

Lithuania began to feel like mud; this woman completely believed his lies, he should be apologizing to her and not the other way round. "Please don't be troubled. You weren't to know and, as I said, she is fine."

"Well, I can understand that look on your face now" Anna continued.

"Look on my face?" He was genuinely confused.

She nodded. "You have such sad eyes"

"I think I've always looked like this..." He trailed off and she laughed at him again.

Both Poland and Felicia seemed to enjoy being on the swings. Lithuania suspected Poland just liked to be on anything that moved because it meant he could be lazy. _I might start tying him to the vacuum cleaner. He'll probably love that. _He was seriously considering doing it when Poland's hat blew off and he had to sprint across the playground to retrieve it, giving Anna a chance to get a good look at Poland's face and blonde hair.

When he returned and forced Poland's hat back on him she said "You know he really doesn't look like you."

Lithuania stared. "No but he looks like my wife."

"I suppose he must but he doesn't take after you _at all_. In any way. Different hair, eyes, facial features..." She continued to babble on about the obvious difference between him and his 'son.'

Lithuania didn't get it. Was she suggesting that he might be raising another man's child? That his 'imaginary' wife had been cheating on him? She was right, of course, Poland wasn't his. But he didn't understand why Anna seemed determined to find some fault in his family situation and why the fault had to be his wife. He decided it would be best not to say anything and hope the young woman would drop the subject.

Anna eventually noticed he'd gone quiet and said "I'm sorry. I've offended you again. I won't say another word about it."

Lithuania nodded. "Do you want to go somewhere else? I don't know what else is in here though for the kids..."

"Oh there is a soft ball play area. Felicia loves it in there."

Lithuania repeated the name. "I don't know what that is" He confessed.

"Well it's like..." She paused for a moment then grinned as she remembered something. "It's like your 'padded room' that you made in your living room. Only there are things to climb over, ball pits and slides. It's all soft and perfectly safe for the little ones so long as there any no other, older more boisterous children around."

It sounded like something Poland would like; he turned into a happy little lunatic whenever he was in the padded room back home. He picked his 'illegitimate child' up and popped him into his stroller. As he was fastening him in, Poland tugged on his coat and gave him a hopeful look.

Lithuania turned to Anna and asked "Is there a place inside where we can get a drink? He wants his bottle"

"There's a small cafe. We could grab some coffee while they have their bottles" She thought about what she'd just seen. "Pulling on your clothes means he wants a bottle?" She grinned.

"Well it is time for his next bottled feed" He inspected his watch. "His stomach has an in-built alarm"

They laughed all the way to the indoor play area

* * *

Anna's jaw dropped when she witnessed how fast Poland could down a bottle of milk. Little Felicia was much slower and they'd all have to wait for her to finish so the adults ordered some sandwiches and coffee. Poland was determined to have some of the sandwich. Lithuania failed to keep his lunch safe as the child managed to snatch a small handful of bread, which he crammed into his mouth before Lithuania could take it from him. At least Poland ate it without choking.

Lithuania knew he was going to have to buy a ball pit and a slide because Poland _loved_ them. The child had looked a little bit anxious when Lithuania first crawled with him to the top of a slide. Poland didn't have a problem with heights and the slide wasn't very tall so he assumed it was the army of rainbow-coloured balls waiting for them at the bottom that had him worried. But the second they began to descend down the slide, Poland's expression immediately changed to joy. They crashed into the pit and balls went flying everywhere. They had to go down the same slide at least twenty times before Poland was satisfied. Poland spent one happy half hour menacing the balls and Lithuania was pleased that the boy had managed to keep them out of his mouth for once. Felicia tried to match Poland's pace but she failed miserably; no one could beat Baby Po at crawling, sliding, defeating round enemies (he really was holding a grudge against those balls) and just his general enthusiasm for play.

It was eventually time for Poland to have his pureed baby food. Lithuania had been dreading this moment all day. Poland refusing his meals and throwing several jars of food over him in front of an audience was the worst thing he'd imagined could happen today. _Please let him like mango! _Lithuania's eyes appeared anxious and desperate. Poland looked nonplussed, as though as he wasn't sure what was wrong with the tall man.

Lithuania hesitantly offered Poland a spoonful. It didn't take Poland long to reach his verdict. He shut his eyes, scrunched his fists and started wriggling about with the silliest smile on his face. Lithuania sighed with relief as Poland indicated he needed more mango puree _right now_. Anyone watching thought that the pair of them were odd, sweet, but odd.

Anna and Lithuania left the indoor play area together and headed back to the swings to give the kids a few more minutes of playtime. Anna said she had to go soon and the same applied to Lithuania; he couldn't stay out too late, not when he'd invited Hungary over to see Po.

"I have to be on my way too. Po..." He caught himself as he was about to say Poland. "Polina, my sister and Kęstutis' aunt, is on her way over to see us."

"Time to say goodbye then. Maybe we'll run into each other again one day." She smiled and bent down to say goodbye to Poland. "Bye bye Kęstutis" Poland hid his face from her again and she laughed at him. Lithuania chuckled at him too.

"Bye Anna, Felicia!" He called out to them and waved as they left. _Right, we'd better hurry back now for Miss Hungary._

And hurry is what they did.

* * *

When they arrived back at Poland's house, they found that Hungary was already inside having let herself in. She was stood in the doorway of the padded room and pointing at the Great Pillow Wall of Warsaw and she just had to ask; "What in the hell happened here?"

* * *

An hour later and Hungary was crying from laughing too hard at Lithuania's exploits over the past couple of days. Lithuania and Hungary were both enjoying a much needed coffee whilst Po, having just guzzled his milk, was taking a nap on top of a scatter cushion and soaking it with his drool.

"So, you've found a girlfriend, Lithuania?" She winked at him and was obviously in the mood to tease him.

"I have not." He coolly sipped his coffee. "The very idea is ridiculous"

"Why?" She asked.

He looked at Hungary like she'd grown a second head."You know why! I'm a country, she's a human being. Plus, I didn't ask but she's probably already involved with someone and I'm supposed to be involved with someone as well. I'm not going to cheat on my sick wife even if she is make-believe" He decided to push the focus onto Hungary. "How did Mr. Austria feel about you coming here?" As if he couldn't hadn't already guessed. "He seemed quite angry over the phone."

"Pfft! He always sounds like that. Don't worry about him; he just gets a bit jealous and possessive when I hang around with other men."

"Isn't that bad?" Lithuania asked.

She mused. "Hmmm... Maybe. To be honest I think it's cute when he gets jealous. Some of the time..."

"What would you have done if he forbade you from coming here?"

"Forbade Me? I'd have punched him in the balls" She retorted. There was the Hungary he remembered. She'd matured into a calmer, more pragmatic country in the last couple of hundred years and was definitely more feminine now compared with her former tomboyish self when Prussia was kicking around. But it seemed she had yet to complete the transition to being a demure lady.

"So! Time for more Gigu talk!" She announced brightly.

"Gigu? Miss Hungary, how many words have you invented? I have no idea what you're talking about" If he sounded exasperated when he spoke, it was because he was.

"Okay, first it is Hungary! You don't have to add 'Miss' all the time, second, Gigu talk is what Po and I have named our discussions. It's not girl talk or guy talk because we're different genders so we took the 'Gi' from girl and the 'Gu' from guy to make Gigu."

Lithuania was flabbergasted. "You two don't make any sense to me!"

Hungary hit him on the head with a newspaper. "Rude!"

"What do you two discuss anyway?" He couldn't wait to hear what drivel made Poland and Hungary connect with each other so well.

"Oh you know... Relationships, guys we think are attractive..." Lithuania knew that Poland was gay, he'd suspected it when they'd first met, was almost certain of it when Poland had asked to see his penis and one hundred per cent sure of it when Poland told him he was.

Hungary was still talking. "...Rumours about other countries, more gossip, clothes, you, countries we'd like to see drunk..."

"Hold on! You said me? What does Poland say about me behind my back?" Lithuania really wanted to know. He especially wanted to know if he said good or bad things about him.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" She grinned at him mischievously. Lithuania looked like a child who had grown tired of being tormented.

Hungary decided to reward him with a scrap of information. "Don't worry, he only says good things about you. Unless he's talking about your fashion sense or your hair."

There was no surprise there.

"Would you like to discuss Po with me behind his back?" She asked.

"And what should I say about him?" Lithuania was hopeless at gossiping.

"Whatever you like. What he does to piss you off. What you like about him..." She took another drink.

Lithuania looked horrified. "Hungary! Don't use that kind of language in front of a child!"

"He's asleep and even if he were awake he wouldn't understand it"

"That still doesn't make it alright to swear in front of him!"

"Alright! I apologize for offending your ears!" Hungary was getting annoyed. It seemed she didn't like to be told what to do. They both took another sip of their coffee.

"Is there anyone you are attracted to?" She asked suddenly.

Lithuania almost choked. "Wha... why are you asking me this?"

"I told you we're having Gigu talk and I'm curious. Poland once said you liked Belarus. Do you still like her?" She was staring at him intently and Lithuania felt as though he were on trial.

Lithuania sighed. "I did have a crush on Miss Belarus I guess..."

"Do you still like her now?"

"No. Well, I suppose I still think she is very pretty but I wouldn't be interested in starting a relationship with her now. And she's never been interested in me." He added glumly. "I think she has always hated me."

"I don't understand why you liked her; from what Po said I gather she treated you like crap, hurt you even. Was your attraction to her based solely on looks?"

Lithuania didn't know how to answer those questions. He seemed to come off as having low self esteem, he put others needs before his own and let people take advantage of his kind nature. He was a prime target for bullies. Over time he'd simply become accustomed to being treated that way and he'd considered his relationship with Belarus to be normal. He was, at the time, envious of Belarus' affection for her brother. He'd fantasized that one day they would have that kind of relationship but he'd been deluding himself.

Hungary noticed that Lithuania's 'gloomy' personality was coming to the surface and that his happiness was quickly sinking like a rock. It was her fault; she shouldn't have pressed him for information on a topic he clearly didn't like to discuss. She'd have to lighten the mood again. So she did the kindest thing she could think of and hit him over the head with the newspaper again.

"What was that for?" He looked stunned.

"For not answering my questions" She smiled sweetly at him. "Try to answer this one; Do you only like girls?"

"No... Yes... I don't know."

"How can you not know? Have you ever been even a little bit attracted to a man?" She pressed.

Visions of Poland sprang, unbidden, from the recesses of his mind; Poland in his overalls, gathering rye in the fields. Poland dressed in his finest clothes, twirling around the ballroom. Poland stepping naked out of his bath as Lithuania accidentally walked in on him. All of his memories of Poland flashed before him.

"Lithuania! You're blushing! Tell me who you're thinking about?"

His cheeks flamed more. "No."

"Poland!" She exclaimed.

"NO!" He shouted then almost jumped off the sofa when he felt something grab at his leg. When he glanced down he saw Baby Po was at his feet and clutching his slacks. He looked bewildered, probably because Lithuania had shouted very loudly and the baby thought it was directed at him. He was going to pick Poland up and comfort him but Hungary scooped him up first.

"There's my Babu!" She cried before kissing the baby all over and almost squeezing the life out of him. He looked like a whipped dog.

"Hungary, he really doesn't like that"

"Of course he does!" Hungary was very certain of it as she nuzzled against him.

* * *

Lithuania repeatedly banged his head against the shower wall. Hungary had offered to give Poland his evening meal so that Lithuania could take a break, freshen up and relax a little bit but he still felt riled by their conversation earlier so he couldn't manage the latter. He finished quickly, got dressed then went back downstairs.

"Hey." Hungary greeted him. "Would you mind if I bathed Po as well? He's really funny in the bath. Totally crazy." She smiled and he found himself smiling back.

"Be my guest" He said.

"You get some food in you!" She ordered him as she carried Poland away to take on the team of evil rubber ducks that lurked in the bathroom.

He noticed a plate covered in tin foil was sat on top of the counter. There was a note on the top informing him that whatever it was needed to be warmed up for fifteen minutes on low heat. He wasn't used to other people cooking for him. Poland once tried to bake him a cake and somehow managed to set the kitchen alight. The cake miraculously survived to an extent in that it still resembled a cake in terms of its shape and its size but it was as solid and as black as a lump of coal. Lithuania had praised his efforts and tried a piece of it to try and cheer Poland up. He broke three of his teeth that day.

Lithuania wasn't sure what he was eating; it was most likely a Hungarian dish and it seemed to be some sort of stew. It tasted very nice. He'd have to ask Hungary for the recipe _after_she stopped screaming with laughter as she helped Poland cause extensive water damage to his home.

* * *

Hungary and Poland rejoined Lithuania in the living room. She'd obviously changed clothes which could only mean she'd ended up getting drenched when playing with Po. She handed Poland to him then went to turn on the television.

"Some of the kiddy programmes are _insanely annoying _but Po seems to like some of them" She explained as she took Poland back and popped him on some cushions in front of the TV screen. A few minutes in and Poland seemed to be some under some kind of trance as he watched a man in a green dinosaur suit caper about.

"Haven't you been letting him watch them?" She asked.

"I didn't even think to check if there were any children's television programmes" He admitted.

"They're a godsend when you want to get things done, he'll sit like that for ages" She watched Poland for a bit then announced "I need to get going now. Or I'll miss the flight home."

"Right. I'll get my keys"

"No need, Lithuania. I pre-booked a taxi. We can't be dragging poor Po all over Warsaw when he's ready for bed and you can't leave him here alone."

"Are you sure you wouldn't prefer it if I took you? I don't mind. We could put Po in his carrier seat and he'll most likely fall asleep during the journey"

"I'll be fine! Honestly, you fuss too much!" A car horn sounded outside.

"They're here early." Hungary rushed over to Po and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Bye Babu! See you in a couple of days!"

Lithuania escorted Hungary to the front door and opened it for her.

"Bye Lithuania" He was surprised when she kissed him on the cheek as well. "See you soon!"

"Bye, take care!" He called after her. Lithuania waited until the car was no longer within his sight before going back inside.

* * *

Poland didn't seem to have missed him and also didn't seem aware that the man was stood right behind him. The youngster was still glued to the television. Lithuania had never watched much TV as he found it uninteresting. Poland would occasionally imprison him and make him watch a movie but would always become disappointed when Lithuania didn't laugh when he did, cry when he did or cling to the edge of his seat with him.

Lithuania noticed Poland's show had finished and the advertisements were on but Poland was no less enthralled. The adverts were all for children's toys, that was probably why. Lithuania took more interest in what was on the screen when he heard a neighing sound. What he saw was a pink and purple unicorn that doubled as a rocking horse and a giant pull toy so you could pull your child along on it if you added the wheels. It had gorgeous long hair and dazzling blue eyes and its rump was covered in stars. It was nauseating to look at.

Poland shifted his body around and looked up at Lithuania. He stared and stared at him with his big green eyes and looked as though he wanted something. The baby craned his neck around to look at the screen again for a few seconds then turned back to gaze into Lithuania's eyes once more. He repeated the motion again then he put his thumb in his mouth and gently sucked on it whilst holding his head slightly to one side. Poland was putting his 'cute act' on and Lithuania knew he was being manipulated.

He crossed his arms and gave Poland a knowing look. "You want that thing, do you?" He continued. "Amazing. You don't know your own name but you know who has a wallet and how to get me to empty it." Lithuania had already decided that he would buy the toy for Poland but he would have to wait. "I can't get you it right this minute, Po. I'll see if I can find one in Vilnius tomorrow. Right now it's time for your bottle and then bed"

Lithuania let Poland watch more television as he had his last bottle for the night. Thankfully, the tot didn't seem interested in any of the other toys being marketed at young children. Lithuania knew he already had a long list of things to buy when he got home.

* * *

Poland was settled inside his crib, Lithuania spent the evening packing some of their things. He wouldn't be taking much. He planned to carry Poland around in his carrier car seat as it was going with them on some of the journey anyway and he could easily detach it from the car. He was also going to take enough baby food, formula and diapers to last them a day. They were catching an early flight and it would only take them a couple of hours to reach Vilnius so he'd have a day to get in some necessities such as a new baby crib. If, in his own home he replicated what Baby Poland had in Warsaw, each time they travelled between the two capitals they would only need to take themselves and nothing more.

Lithuania checked on the slumbering baby then set his alarm to go off at five thirty in the morning. That was half an hour earlier than the time he would normally be awake. His own routine had been slightly disrupted since his trip to America.

He clambered into bed, laid on his back and let out a deep breath. He felt as though he wouldn't be able to sleep that night, it was just too exciting! Of course, he'd taken adult Poland back home with him many times before but this time it was going to be very different because Baby Poland wouldn't complain. Adult Poland seemed to dislike everything about his home.

"I like you!" The blonde had insisted. "I just don't like your language, food, customs and traditions, music..." The list had gone on for quite a while.

Poland took to whining about everything 'Lithuanian' every time he paid a visit to his home and Lithuania always felt deeply insulted. He hoped things would be different with Baby Poland and that he'd enjoy his culture this time and maybe he'd remember nothing but good things when he eventually changed back into his former, adult self. He could hope, right?

_I'm going to find some baby clothes in Lithuanian colours and make him wear them... _He thought as he fell asleep with a smirk on his face.


	4. Let's Go to Lithuania!

**Chapter 4: Let's go to Lithuania!  
**

November 7th

Lithuania's hand struck the alarm's sleep button after one beep. He went over to see if it had woken Poland but he was still dreaming peacefully. He dashed into the en suite for another quick shower, this time wearing a shower cap because he knew his hair would take too long to dry. He looked ridiculous with it on and would never admit to a soul that he wore them on occasion; even he liked to uphold his reputation and shower caps just weren't cool.

He was fully washed, dressed and groomed within twenty minutes. The bags were all ready. He'd slip off downstairs for a quick breakfast and then only Poland would need to be prepared. He hoped Poland wouldn't react badly to being woken early. _Worry about him later, food and coffee now!_

"Yes, Boss" He whispered to his brain as he slunk off to do as he was told.

* * *

He was surprised to find Poland awake and sat up, presumably waiting for him. Poland was giving him an accusing look; like he knew Lithuania had snuck off and eaten something without him which was completely unfair.

Rather sensibly, Lithuania had decided Po should have his bottle and porridge _before _being dressed in what he considered were some of the baby's finest clothes. He recalled how intense the general public's interest in them had been as they played at the park and suspected they might attract similar attention again at the airport. He didn't intend to parade Poland around like a celebrity's baby but if someone wished to stop and admire him, who was he to stop them? And at the very least, no one would accuse him of being a second-rate father because his child looked fabulous, would they?

Poland fiddled with the bow on the front of his garments and tried to pull off his hat.

Lithuania stopped him "Please no stripping today. If you're naughty, you're not getting that unicorn." An empty threat, there was no way he'd deny Poland the chance to own that ghastly, one-horned left his clothes alone and started chewing on the handle of Lithuania's travel pack. Well... that was better he supposed.

"Let's go, trouble" He said as hauled the boy and the bag up and carried them to the car.

* * *

As he'd expected, there were many eyes on him and Po as they sat in the departures lounge. The people there kept glancing at him then quickly looking away whenever he caught their eye. At least no one was whispering things and he hadn't been accused of kidnapping the baby he was holding.

Eventually an elderly couple doddered along and sat opposite him. Lithuania was no more used to dealing with the very old than he was the very young. The twosome had hair that was so white it looked as if they had been dipped in a vat of Poland's baby powder and their skin was leathery and wrinkled. They were much shorter than Lithuania and they looked thin and frail. Despite all of that, Lithuania thought they looked like quite the handsome couple. Lithuania wondered how many centuries it would take for him to look so aged. He observed that the woman, in particular, seemed to studying him as he was her. He nodded his head and smiled at her in silent greeting.

She gave her husband a nudge "She's a sweet little thing, isn't she?" She was pointing at Poland.

"It's a he" Lithuania said.

"Her name is Dee?" Clearly, the woman was hard of hearing.

"No, it's a he. He's a boy." Lithuania tried again, a little louder this time.

"Oh a boy. I don't like boys; too boisterous."She said rather curtly. It seemed as though her opinion of Poland had changed in an instant.

The woman's husband, who hadn't uttered a sound up to this point, suddenly raised his head and stated "Rather tall for a lady, aren't you?"

"I'M A MAN!" Lithuania shouted and immediately regretted doing so as everyone in the waiting room turned to look at him. The other male gave him a stern look "You should see about getting a decent haircut. Back in my day we didn't have men dressing like woman and woman dressing like men and... Bah, I don't know. The youth of today..." Lithuania wanted to inform the old codger that he was in fact his senior by more than a thousand years but he couldn't so he bit his lip instead.

"Where is that little one's mother?" The woman jumped in with another question.

"Not here, obviously." Lithuania was getting annoyed.

"She's left you both." The woman decided. "That poor little boy! A child needs his mother"

"She hasn't left me!" Lithuania protested but his words fell on deaf ears. Oh what was the use! He carried Poland off to a different seat, the one furthest away from the citizens of Warsaw. He hoped they'd be boarding soon and that he would be sat on the opposite end of the plane to that couple.

* * *

Poland attracted even more attention on the plane; almost every female passenger and air stewardess paid him a visit. The baby hated it and kept trying to wriggle under Lithuania's sweater to hide. Poland's cute appeal had scored them a window seat at the front of the plane and Poland liked to gape out at the sky and distant buildings, that is, when he wasn't burying his face in Lithuania's clothes. Lithuania was grateful for the women's company, although they only ever talked about Po, as it made the journey seem shorter and it was also a pleasant change from travelling alone in complete silence as he usually did.

He also appreciated how well Poland was behaving; he hadn't expected to the baby to run amok exactly but he'd thought Po would have gotten a little fussy and insisted on being let down to crawl up and down the aisle. _He's probably saving that for the next trip..._Lithuania thought.

* * *

Vilnius - Lithuania

Upon arrival at Vilnius International Airport, Lithuania felt joyous, as he always did when set foot on his land. He wasn't sure if all countries felt the same as he but whenever he wasn't home he felt distinctly ungrounded and restless. There was always some force or intense desire continuously pulling on him, pulling him back to where his roots lay.

Lithuania beamed at Baby Poland. He wanted the little boy to be as jubilant as he was. For eons he had wanted Poland to feel, understand and appreciate his world, not to dismiss it. He hoped he could instil some of those feelings into Poland now that he was young and unprejudiced.

He set Poland, who was back in his baby carrier seat, down on top of an unoccupied desk whilst he searched through his pockets, looking for his wallet. After he'd located that he arranged for a taxi to take them back to his place. This would be the only time they'd need to hire a taxi. He'd left his 'main' car in Warsaw but, fortunately, back home he had another he could use.

"Poland, I'm going to make sure you enjoy being here. Who knows? Maybe you'll even grow to love my home" He said cheerfully.

Poland reached over and managed to push a small stand holding a Lithuanian flag into a trash can. _Or maybe not..._ Lithuania thought.

"Are you inherently racist?!" He tried not to shout it as he moved in closer so he could give Poland a lecture. He stooped down until his face was a mere inch or so from Poland's. He tried to look stern as he was about to deliver a talk about respecting his country's flag but Poland looked delighted to have Lithuania in such close proximity. He grabbed Lithuania's cheeks with his chubby little hands and nuzzled against his face. Lithuania calmed down and rolled his eyes at the boy's antics then he rescued the flag.

"You really are manipulative" He muttered as they headed off to complete the final part of their journey.

* * *

By the time they had arrived at Lithuania's house, he'd forgiven Poland; He could easily have knocked his own country's flag into the trash can, it just so happened there wasn't a Polish flag there. And after all, he was only a baby, an uncommonly mischievous one but still just a baby.

As soon as they entered the property, Lithuania released Poland from his seat so that he could explore. Adult Poland had stayed with Lithuania on numerous occasions but this was Baby Poland's first time in this house. He crawled off towards the first room on the left, which happened to be a living room that was much like Poland's. Baby Poland stopped at the doorway and stared into the room for a while before falling onto his backside heavily. He appeared to be sulking.

"Po? What's the matter?" He hurried over to see if he could establish what was troubling the youngster. When he got Poland to face him, he could see that his eyes looked glassy. He'd never seen Baby Poland look so close to tears.

"What's the matter?" He asked softly as he picked him up for a cuddle.

Lithuania carried Poland into the room and looked about to see if there was something that might have frightened him. When he neared the sofa, Poland began to point but Lithuania could see that there was nothing on it besides a couple of cushions. Lithuania picked one up and offered it to him. Po grabbed onto it and his mood improved slightly and then Lithuania felt like he understood.

"It's because it's not like the padded room, isn't it? You want all the cushions back." Of all the things, he hadn't expected the baby might feel homesick.

"I'll recreate the Great Pillow Wall of Warsaw. I'll build it here for you and get a slide and a ball pit and I'll get you that unicorn" He sounded resolute.

* * *

First, they both needed to eat. Poland wasn't so discontent that he couldn't manage to gobble down his plum flavoured puree and some pear and a pot of yoghurt. Perhaps he shouldn't have allowed Poland to gorge himself on sweet things but right now food and cuddles were all he could give to the little boy to make him smile.

Lithuania's thoughts turned to the mountain of shopping he had to do. He needed to buy many things today, a lot of it was bulky and it would take him several trips to do it all. If he took Poland with him there'd be even less room in the car for the items which could mean even more trips and he'd be slower because he'd be carrying a baby around with him. Obviously, he couldn't leave Poland home alone either. Lithuania didn't know of any babysitters and he wouldn't trust a complete stranger, who was also a human, with the baby country anyway. It was a pity Hungary wasn't his neighbour.

"Neighbour..." He said aloud. _Couldn't I ask Latvia to babysit for me? _Yes... Latvia. The youngest of the three Baltic States, Lithuania often referred to him as his little brother and he was also his neighbour. Latvia had always looked up to Lithuania and respected him so he was quite certain Latvia would look after Poland for him if he asked him to.

Unfortunately, Latvia was rather spacey and could easily be intimidated by others so it would be better if he didn't know that he was taking care of Poland or how Poland came to be in that state. On the plus side, Latvia was also rather gullible so he'd likely believe whatever story he told him about how he came to be taking care of a child. An added bonus was Latvia was no longer staying in his capital; he'd moved considerably further south and was therefore very close by. He could be in Vilnius in less than two hours. That settled it! He was calling Latvia.

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

"Hello Latvia? This is Lithuania."

"Lithuania! It's so good to hear from you! How was your trip?" Latvia sounded genuinely excited that he'd called.

Lithuania laughed down the phone "It was fun and I'd like to tell you all about it but something important has come up and I could really use your help right now. I was wondering if you'd come to Vilnius?"

"W-what? Is something wrong?" Latvia sounded worried. Lithuania never asked him for help.

"Oh, it's nothing bad! I was actually just wondering if maybe you'd babysit for me."

"Babysit? As in take care of a baby? YOU have a baby?" Latvia now sounded shocked and confused.

"It's not my baby!" He added hastily.

"You borrowed someone else's baby?" Latvia tried to understand.

"Why would I borrow a baby?" Lithuania asked. This conversation was becoming irksome. He'd better come up with a creative lie now to get Latvia on board. His voice sunk to a _conspiratorial_ whisper "Can you keep a secret, Latvia?" He took the silence on the other end of the line to mean yes. "I'm taking care of a new country."

"A new country?" An awestruck Latvia replied.

"Yes. He doesn't even have a name yet. I'm going to be looking after him for a while because he can't fend for himself and there's the potential threat that other countries may try to invade and take his lands. I can't really tell you anymore than that, I'm afraid. You'll be in danger if you know too much" He hoped Latvia was buying this nonsense.

"I understand!" Latvia yelled back. Apparently he was falling for his story. "I'm the only one you trust to do this, right?"

Lithuania smiled "That's right. You're growing up into such a fine, responsible young man, Latvia. I thought I'd be able to rely on you"

"You can rely on me, Lithuania" Latvia was charmed by being treated like an adult. "I'm on my way!"

Lithuania heard the phone click and imagined Latvia would be running to the train station right now. However, he couldn't just sit around waiting for Latvia to arrive in Vilnius; there were too many things he needed to get in for Poland and not enough hours. He could go on his first shopping trip now and take Poland with him to get a couple of essentials; a crib and a high chair. Then at least there'd be somewhere safe for Poland to sit while Latvia watched over him. He left the phone and went to get Poland ready again.

* * *

Lithuania and Poland were in a furniture store that specialized in beds and bedding. There wasn't a huge range of cribs to choose from and Baby Po didn't seem to like any of them. A Queen sized bed had caught the discerning infant's eye but he wasn't getting it. Of all the things in the store, what interested Poland the most were the walls of units containing pillows and scatter cushions that were every colour and style you could imagine. Poland's eyes lit up the second he saw them and Lithuania had a funny feeling he would be taking at least one of each kind home with him that day.

Since Poland was proving to be ineffectual at selecting a bed that was suitable for someone his age, Lithuania would have to make the choice for him. He picked out something that looked sturdy and was made from a hard, dark brown wood. For the mattress and the bedding he selected plaid designs in blue and white. He let Po elect a small delegation of cushions to be the first settlers in his living room; Lithuania would be back for more later to boost the population in his house. Thankfully, the helpful staff were prepared to load up Lithuania's car with his purchases. He informed them that he would happily visit their store again. They had no idea he meant in a couple of hour's time.

Next they stopped by a small, independent store selling baby products. He'd only planned to get a high chair from there originally but ended up buying a couple of new baby bottles and some food bowl sets as well. While he was paying, he asked a friendly looking woman if she knew of any toy shops and where he might find a ball pit. She had young children of her own so she name a few places where he could find things for Poland to play with, however, she told him he was unlikely to find a ball pit for sale in any of them. Lithuania would have to think of something, he didn't want to break his promise to Poland that he would have his own ball pit. _Later..._ He told himself as he saw the time. Right now they had to get home before Latvia arrived.

* * *

It appeared Latvia hadn't yet made it to Vilnius or Lithuania's house; as they pulled into the driveway they could see no sign of him. At least that meant Lithuania had time to put together Po's crib and high chair. The chair came together very easily but he could tell that the crib would be more difficult to assemble and he'd have to do that in his bedroom because there was no way he'd be able to lug the entire thing upstairs once it was complete. He carried Po and some tools upstairs first and shut the active boy inside his bedroom so he wouldn't come out and take a tumble down the stairs. Then he dragged the crib parts, mattress and bedding up a bit at a time.

Poland helped himself to a tape measure from the tool bag and began to bash it on the floor whilst Lithuania tried to read the assembly instructions that came with the crib. Lithuania picked out the correct tools for the job and laid them next to the guide. Poland, who was in an unhelpful mood, pinched them whenever Lithuania wasn't looking, thus making the task take even longer.

"Po! I'll send you back home!" He said playfully as he rolled the youngster over and tickled his belly. It was incredibly funny how long it would take Baby Po to struggle back up after being laid on his back. It bought Lithuania lots of time to get on with his work undisturbed so he made a habit out of putting Po on his back every five minutes or so. Fortunately, the baby never seemed to get frustrated by it but Lithuania thought that if he were an adult he might. He could envision Poland drop-kicking him into the Baltic Sea.

"Lithuania?" He heard Latvia call his name. He must have let himself in. Poland was looking at the ceiling as he tried to figure out where the new voice had come from.

Lithuania crawled over to the door and shouted "Upstairs, Latvia!"

Moments later Latvia appeared in the doorway and surveyed everything in the room. Lithuania was on the floor with a half-built crib and a menagerie of tools, empty plastic bags and boxes and a baby, of course. Latvia noticed the child last. The two youngest people in the room gaped at each other.

Lithuania had been wondering how they would take to one another. Baby Po was shy around everyone, especially adults but Latvia was very small for his age and looked and could act quite child-like at times. Lithuania considered they might get along well and play together.

Latvia dropped to his knees and awkwardly waved at the baby and said "Hi..."

Poland decided whoever or whatever the hell Latvia was, he didn't like him. He hurriedly got on his hands and knees and crawled over to Lithuania and hid behind him.

"I'm afraid he's a little shy" Lithuania said as he petted Poland's head.

"Is that what he's going to sleep in?" Latvia asked as he pointed at the developing crib.

"Yes. This is where you'll be putting him when he needs a nap." Lithuania added. "Thanks for doing this for me, Latvia. I'll teach you everything you need to know which won't be much to be honest. Babies are quite easy to look after once you know what you're doing. And he's a good baby."

"Can I help make this?"

"If you want" Lithuania smiled as he got to his feet. Poland panicked as his protective cover moved away, he shuffled after Lithuania and tried to hide behind his leg but Latvia could still see him.

"You know... He looks a lot like Poland"

Lithuania felt his heart in his mouth. Then tried to play down the similarities between this baby and adult Poland by saying "Switzerland also looks a lot like Poland"

Latvia thought about it. "Yeah, he does a bit. Poland looks silly though while Switzerland looks mean" Latvia gasped and looked panicked. "Please don't tell either of them I said that!"

Lithuania had to grin at that; Latvia wasn't quite ready to be a diplomat yet. "I won't tell a soul."

Latvia was relieved to hear it. Then he asked another question "What do you call him then?"

"įkyruolis" Lithuania replied.

"Isn't that Lithuanian for pest or nuisance?" Latvia looked confused. "You used to call me that sometimes." Okay, so apparently Latvia had been listening when he'd tried to teach him some Lithuanian.

"Well done for remembering. You're right. I've given him the name Kęstutis for now but he doesn't really answer to it or anything else for that matter."

They talked about what each of them had been doing that week as they worked on the crib and together they completed it in no time at all. Poland certainly wasn't happy that Latvia was now receiving more attention than he; he'd bat at Latvia's legs whenever they were within his reach and tugged on Lithuania's slacks to steal focus from the older boy. This made Latvia apprehensive about being left alone with the baby but Lithuania insisted they just needed to get to know each other a bit better and Kęstutis would probably either be eating or sleeping during most of their time together.

Lithuania wrote out step-by-step guides for Latvia as he talked him through how to prepare the baby's food and feed him, how to change a diaper and how to put him down for his nap. Then Lithuania decided that he would give Poland his pureed food now while Latvia watched. He'd let Latvia handle the easier bottle feeds instead.

"Do you think you can manage all that, Latvia?" He asked when he'd finished explaining everything.

"Yes, I think so" Latvia's face didn't really look sure though.

"He'll probably crawl around for a while and put things in his mouth. Just follow him and make sure he doesn't eat anything, okay?"

Latvia nodded his understanding.

Lithuania continued "I won't be far away on the first trip. I'm going to the supermarket for some food and diapers. I'll be back in an hour tops." He headed for the car.

"Okay, come back soon" Latvia called after him.

* * *

Driving alone, Lithuania thought about how terrified Latvia had looked when he'd left him alone with Poland. He was sure he'd looked the same when Hungary took off and left him holding the baby. It stunned him to think just how quickly he'd adapted to having little Poland around and how fast he'd become the centre of Lithuania's universe. _Though he's beginning to have a devastating effect on my economy... _Lithuania thought grimly as his wallet was being emptied at an alarming rate.

Lithuania navigated his way around the store with ease despite having unintentionally selected a wayward shopping cart whose wheels didn't quite want to travel in the direction he wanted. He was pleased to find they stocked all the same branded products Poland had been using back home. He didn't have to double check product labels as he collected Poland's baby powder and diapers; he knew them all off by heart.

He stood in the baby food aisle for a long while. Poland was still very liberal when it came to his bottled food. He'd follow Hungary's example and just get lots of jars of every flavour there was. He grabbed handfuls of bottled puree at a time and watched them clink and scatter as they fell into the shopping cart. A woman that was browsing nearby looked horror-stricken.

"Good Lord! How many children do you have?" The woman asked.

"Just the one. But he's the size of Poland" Lithuania said with a woman looked at him as though he were mad. _Typical_. Lithuania didn't make jokes very often and right now there was no one who could even begin to appreciate them.

He got some of Poland's favourite soft fruits in as well and some yoghurts. Whilst he was paying for everything, most of the people around gaped at him and the huge quantity of baby food he had. Lithuania found he didn't care about people watching him as much as he had before. He'd just have to accept that maybe he was as weird as people seemed to perceive him to be.

* * *

When he returned home, Lithuania found Latvia sat on the floor beside Poland as the little one slept. Apparently, Poland had crashed out on his new cushions. When Latvia noticed him, he quietly got to his feet and hurried over to the taller nation.

Latvia spoke in a hushed voice "I'm sorry but he fell asleep there and I wasn't sure if I should move him or not..."

They stepped out of the room and Latvia helped gather the groceries and carry them through to the kitchen. He marvelled at the amount of stuff Lithuania had brought back with him.

"It's alright, Latvia. He does that all the time. As long as he's warm enough, it's okay" He said as he started finding homes for all the food he'd bought. "How'd it go?"

"Well, as you drove off he slipped past me and was crawling towards the steps so I had to grab him. I think he was trying to follow you." When he heard that, Lithuania got a warm, fuzzy feeling.

Latvia continued "I put him back in the living room and he just crawled around everywhere, like you said he would. He mostly stayed in that room and the hallway. I don't think he liked me following him though. He kept sitting down and looking at me like he was cross with me. He went back to the living room and kind of belly flopped I guess? On top of the that pile of cushions in there, tried to eat them then he fell asleep." Latvia finished.

"Yes, that's what he usually gets up to." Lithuania affirmed. "You've kept a good watch on him, Latvia"

Latvia smiled brilliantly; he liked being praised. "If that's all he's going to do, I can definitely manage him for the rest of the day for you!" Then he thought of something. "I'm not sure about bottle feeding though..."

"I wouldn't worry about that either, Latvia. He'll most likely just snatch the bottle off you and he can hold it by himself. He'll drink the lot and he'll do it in less than ten minutes, you'll see" Lithuania gave him a reassuring smile.

Lithuania continued to chat with Latvia and had just finished putting things away when Poland appeared. The baby must have heard the two of them and come looking for them but he only wanted Lithuania. He crawled rapidly over to the Lithuanian man's feet and indicated that he would like to be picked up. When Lithuania bowed down to his request and Poland was in his arms, the infant snuggled into his chest and gave Latvia a victorious look. _He likes me the most._

"I guess that means he likes you a lot" Latvia commented.

"Well I've been taking care of him for a few days, he probably thinks I'm his father." Lithuania plucked a wet wipe from its container and proceeded to wash Poland's grubby face. _He was clean when I left, what did he do? Shove his head in the fire place? _

"Right, I better get back out there. I'll be gone longer this time. There are a couple of things I want and I don't know who sells them." He explained to Latvia. Latvia nodded "Okay" Lithuania carried Poland back into the living room and placed him amongst his meagre collection of cushions. He'd forgotten he was supposed to get more of those as well. If he didn't hurry, the stores would close before he'd finished shopping and he'd fail to re-create Poland's playroom today like he had promised. Lithuania marched off quickly.

"See you both in a few hours!" He called back over his shoulder.

Baby Poland looked distraught. He freed himself from the cushions that were enclosing him and crawled off in the direction he'd seen Lithuania go but it was too late, the front door had already slammed shut.

Latvia got down on the floor with Poland and tried to soothe him by saying "He'll be back soon, Kęstutis. Don't worry, I'm still here." The child looked into Latvia's face and thought _.Want._

* * *

Lithuania was gasping for breath and trying to recall the last time he had run so hard. He was sure it was the time his horse had thrown him in the middle of a battlefield, forcing him to travel on foot like the lower ranking soldiers, and that had happened a good few centuries ago. _I am really out of shape_ he berated himself.

So far, all he had were new bath toys for Poland and a small orange and green, plastic slide which would be staying indoors. He'd withdrawn more cash from his bank and was now running from toy store to toy store looking for that disgusting unicorn that Poland had wanted so badly yesterday. He was glad it wasn't Christmas. He'd seen, with horror, how parents reacted when they discovered their child's most wanted gift that year was out of stock. It wasn't a pretty sight and this came from a man who'd slain many violently angry foes who were out for his and his people's blood.

Lithuania jogged into one of the largest toy stores he'd seen so far that day. It was garishly bright inside and the walls burst with colour. Aisles upon aisles of units were crammed with every type of toy and game you could imagine. To a child it was like a wonderful dream world and there were many children scampering about the place; some were hovering close to their parents but clearly just wanted to bolt, others had lost their parents but didn't care. As far as Lithuania was concerned, it was a psychotic mess and he wanted to leave the second he entered. He'd never find the unicorn on his own; he didn't even know where to begin looking so he attracted the attention of a wandering member of staff.

"Excuse me, miss. I'm looking for a toy and I have no idea where to find it."

"What toy would that be, Sir?" She asked politely.

"Well, I don't know what it is called but I saw it in an advertisement. It was a unicorn rocking horse but you could also attach wheels to it so you could let pull it along with your child on top of it." He hoped that was specific enough.

"I think I've seen what you're talking about." She said. "Would you like to follow me?"

They took off together to find it. They'd almost reached the opposite end of the store when the woman announced "It should be... right around... Here!"

She plucked what appeared to be the last rocking unicorn from the shelf and handed it to Lithuania. He really disliked the thing but felt incredibly lucky to have it. He hoped Poland would be pleased.

"Thank you very much!"

"You're welcome, Sir. Can I help you with anything else?"

"Yes, actually! Do you sell ball pits?" He asked, hopefully. The store assistant looked puzzled so he described to her what he was looking for.

"No, we don't have any of those, sorry"

Lithuania looked crushed.

"Why don't you buy an inflatable paddling pool and fill that with balls?" She suggested. "We sell both of those things here"

"THAT'S PERFECT! What a brilliant idea!" He'd gotten so hooked up on finding a ball pit he'd never thought about making his own. "Thank you so much!"

The lady laughed at him. "I'll go out back where we keep most of our stock and see if I can find you a crate of balls. That'll be a lot easier on you and whoever is on checkout. Please wait here for me."

Lithuania nodded and stayed put. The assistant who had been extraordinarily helpful to him today, returned a few minutes later, wheeling a shopping cart with a large crate inside it.

"Would you like to go pick out a paddling pool now?" She smiled at him. He followed her again, a couple of aisles down and to the left.

Lithuania's eye were immediately drawn to an unusual hexagon pool. It seemed absurdly unique sat amongst the other pools which were all either circular or rectangular in shape. The hexagon's floor was blue and its ringed sides were green, yellow and pink stacked on top of each other. It didn't look very deep and it was at least wide enough for he and Poland to sit in.

"I'd like this one" He said and the assistant promptly picked a boxed one from the shelf and added it to the cart.

A pleased looking Lithuania remarked "I think that's everything."

The staff at the counter looked a little bemused by all the items he was buying that were best suited to summer months and not November. Why even have them out on display at this time of year if they didn't expect people to buy them? This day and age confused him at times.

Lithuania asked if someone could possibly watch over his things while he went and collected his car and parked it closer to the store; he couldn't carry everything to his vehicle by himself and the staff in the toy store couldn't leave their posts to help him. The staff agreed and told him not to lose his receipt as it was proof of his purchases. He returned twenty minutes later and a different staff member helped him load his little haul of goodies into the back of his car. Lithuania couldn't thank them all enough.

_Right, I have the unicorn, the slide and everything I'll need to make a ball pit. I think I just need to get some more cushions and pillows._ He was almost done for the day. Lithuania started his car and set off to find yet another parking area, this time one that was closer to the store he'd been in earlier that day with Poland.

"Hello again, I told you I'd be back" He said to the staff at the bed specialists store as he entered the premises.

"Ah, you were in here this morning with a baby who was fascinated by our scatter cushions" The man recalled correctly.

"Yes, I need to get some more. I think I could fit forty or so in my car. Would someone be able to help me carry them?" Lithuania blushed, embarrassed at his own strange request.

"Forty?" The man repeated, dumbfounded. "Why on earth do you need so many?"

"Forty probably isn't enough to be honest..." He explained to the other male what he was planning on doing with them all.

When Lithuania had finished the man laughed uncontrollably and exclaimed "That's the funniest damned thing I've ever heard! I'll help you pack them into your car. Which ones would you like?" He was grinning widely.

Lithuania picked one of everything and apologized to the assistant as people stared at them as they carried armfuls of cushions to Lithuania's car. He was being more sensible this time and not blocking his rear windshield as he had done in Warsaw when he'd filled his car to the roof with cushions and pillows. He'd not run into any police that time but he might not be so lucky now. It took them three trips to transport everything to Lithuania's vehicle but the assistant appeared not to mind. Apparently today had been the most interesting day at work he'd ever had and he was as grateful to Lithuania for that as Lithuania was grateful to the young man for helping him.

Lithuania switched on the car radio and sang all the way home. Today had been good.

* * *

When Lithuania entered his home and poked his head around the living room door, he was surprised to find that neither Poland nor Latvia were there.

"Latvia?" He called out. "I'm home, where are you?"

"L-L-LITHUANIA!" He heard Latvia shriek. He sounded like he was crying as well.

Lithuania dropped his coat and his keys and ran in the direction he thought Latvia's voice was coming from, towards the kitchen. He burst into the room, breathing hard and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Latvia had squeezed himself on top of the kitchen counter and was huddled on there with his arms wrapped around his knees that were drawn tightly up to his chest. He was trembling violently and he was sobbing.

The chairs had all been disturbed; some had been pulled away from the table while others had been knocked over. It appeared that Latvia had been chased by someone or something. He thought he could see that something moving on the floor just beyond one of the fallen chairs and stepped forward to take a closer look.

There was Baby Poland, sat on the floor and looking up at Latvia at if he were waiting for the boy to dare to get down. It rather seemed as though the tiny infant was holding Latvia at bay.

"What _are_ you doing?" Lithuania asked Poland. Upon hearing Lithuania's voice, Baby Po turned around and his predatory eyes immediately switched to glistening with happiness as he began to crawl towards the man. With Poland was distracted, Latvia seized his opportunity to escape. He leapt off the counter and ran to the hall, his feet slipped beneath him as he scrambled to get out.

"Latvia!" Lithuania shouted and ran after him. He caught the boy before he reached the front door.

"What happened?!"

"H-he's horrible!"Latvia stuttered and pointed at Poland who was slowly catching up with them. "I'm never coming back here again! Not till he's gone!" Latvia slipped out of Lithuania's grasp, threw open the door and was gone.

Lithuania stared after him, open-mouthed. He felt Po bump into his leg and he stooped to pick him up. He held him in a way that would let him look directly into his eyes

"What did you do?" He asked the baby.

* * *

Later on, after he felt enough time has passed and that Latvia should have arrived home, Lithuania phoned to try and establish what had gone on between him and Poland. Latvia didn't put the phone down on him but refused to talk about what happened. Lithuania guessed he wasn't going to find out any time soon and kindly dropped the subject for the remainder of their conversation. At least Latvia cheered up towards the end of the call which meant Lithuania wouldn't have to imagine his brother crying himself to sleep that night.

Poland was in an overly affectionate mood and seemed almost clingy. He simply wouldn't leave Lithuania alone and he wanted to be held all the time. It seemed to begin when the baby heard Lithuania talking to Latvia over the phone. Poland had realized Lithuania was talking, but not to him, so he had crawled over and pinched and pulled on the man's trouser leg till until he was lifted onto the Lithuanian's lap. After that he still hadn't behaved himself; he shoved his head in Lithuania's face, tugged the man's loosely tied hair and tried, several times, to put his hand in Lithuania's mouth as he was talking.

When the call ended, Lithuania held the baby high above his head and playfully asked the tot "What is the matter with you?" He sounded amused rather than annoyed or confused.

"Did you really miss me that much? And was Latvia really so bad that you had to scar him emotionally for life?"

Poland wriggled and kicked in his firm grasp and stretched out his arms as though he were trying to reach down and grab Lithuania. Lithuania lowered him and gave him a quick kiss on his forehead. It was then he remembered the unicorn, it was still in his car. He sat Poland on the floor and raced to go get Poland the new toy which he hoped the boy still wanted.

When he came back inside with it, he proceeded to remove it from its excessive packaging in the hallway; he had a feeling that if Poland was still interested in it, he'd want to get his hands on the unicorn straight away and wouldn't be happy waiting for Lithuania to fight the thing from its box. Poland was slowly making his way over to the doorway to see what he was up to.

"Po! What's this?" Lithuania placed the unicorn right in front of Poland.

Baby Po looked stunned and flopped back onto his backside. His eyes grew larger and larger and practically sparkled as he recognized that this was the pretty thing he'd seen on the box with moving pictures! He began to bounce excitedly, up and down on his bottom and flail his arms around.

Lithuania grinned and pushed the unicorn into Poland's hands. Po touched all the parts he could reach which were essentially just the unicorn's legs and its muzzle. Lithuania arrived at his side, lifted Po to his feet and held him in place so he could pet all of the mythical creature. Po patted its neck and stroked its face before snuggling against it.

"I've been replaced, hm?" Lithuania commented wryly.

He thought about sitting Poland on the saddle and rocking him for a bit but he recalled that sort of activity usually made him even more hyper and he should be having his last bottle and settling down for the night. Lithuania left Poland cuddling his rocking horse while he went to prepare his baby milk.

Half an hour later and Poland was still fussing over the toy and he wouldn't leave its side, not even for his beloved formula milk. Lithuania had to walk and put the bottle in Poland's mouth for him, something he'd never had to do before as Poland usually snatched the thing and shoved it in his mouth faster than he could blink. Po drank for a bit then offered some of the milk to the unicorn but his new friend didn't seem to be thirsty.

"Po, are you going to have a quick bath and go to bed? You must be tired by now"

Poland looked too loved up to be sleepy. He really didn't want to be the bad guy here but he was going to have to separate them for a few hours so Poland could get some rest.

"Okay, break it up" Lithuania said as he clapped his hands.

He bent down and picked Poland up. Poland looked at him then pointed down at the unicorn.

"You can play with that in the morning, Po" He carried Poland away quickly to minimize the stress he'd feel from the separation.

* * *

Poland was given a very quick and very boring bath. Lithuania had bought new bath toys for him but Po was anything but calm when he played in the bath and Lithuania wanted him to settle down. As usual, when Lithuania finished washing Poland, he wrapped him in a big towel and held him close. Long cuddles usually helped Po drift off but this time he also tried cradling him in his arms and gently swaying him from side to side.

As he finished drying him, Po was struggling to keep his eyes open. Lithuania slowly put a fresh diaper and some clean clothes on him and by the time Lithuania had tucked Po into his brand new sheets in his brand new crib, the baby was sound asleep. At last! Lithuania finally had an opportunity to create an adventure playground in his living room for Poland to enjoy. He'd complete it now and it'd be ready for Po when he woke tomorrow morning. Lithuania rolled up his sleeves and got to work.

The first thing to do was to clear the living room of unnecessary items such as the coffee table. In Poland's house, he'd left the table where it was but had plastered it in bubble wrap. Lithuania wanted more room for the ball pit and slide and he didn't really use his table very often anyway so he dragged it into another room. Then he pushed the sofa and the chairs out and arranged them so that they formed an incomplete rectangle; the cushions and pillows would fill any gaps, save for one small hole that was intended for Po so he could crawl in and out of his den.

The Great Pillow Wall of Vilnius was completed in the style of its counterpart in Warsaw and was looking very reliable. Lithuania assembled the slide next and arranged it so that the ladders backed onto the sofa. That way, Poland wouldn't feel tempted to try pulling himself up the rungs and Lithuania could sit somewhere comfy as he was sure he'd be repeatedly lifting the little boy onto the top of the slide so that he could slip down it. Poland probably wouldn't tire of it easily.

Lithuania pulled the tightly scrunched up inflatable pool from its box and tried to smooth it out somewhat. He took a deep breath, closed his lips around the valve and blew into as hard as he could but it had zero impact. Next he tried a bicycle pump which had a tiny, almost insignificant effect on the pool. He'd be there all night at this rate. _Time to bring out my ultimate weapon_. Lithuania left the room and returned mere seconds later with his vacuum cleaner. He held the hose over the valve and tried using a plastic bag and his hand to make it airtight then he switched on the reverse setting which allowed the machine to blow out rather than suck in. The vacuum whirred loudly and the pool began to quickly take shape. When it looked like it was full with air, he yanked the hose away and closed the pool's valve. Then he put some strong tape over the valve to ensure Poland wouldn't be able to pick it open.

Pouring the crate of colourful, plastic balls into the paddling pool was one of the most satisfying things he'd done that day. A few of the balls strayed outside their new home and as he retrieved them he realized that might be the reason Poland seemed to hold some kind of grudge against them; they moved about without his permission. As he picked up the huge, and now empty, cardboard box he imagined Poland would fit inside it quite easily. That gave him an idea; he could make a little house out of it. He grabbed a pair of scissors and cut out a large door and some windows for Po to spy out of then placed it on the opposite side of the den.

_That just about does it. It just needs some finishing touches.._. He thought as he trashed some empty plastic bags. He decided he would need the coffee table back after all. He planned to sit the television on top of it so that it was nearer the ground and easier for Poland to see. It would still be out of Poland's reach though, as the table would be outside the soft walled enclosure. The television was now in the corner closest to the box house and the pair appeared to be watching each other.

Into Poland's den went his glorious rocking unicorn and some stuffed bears he'd picked up earlier but had forgotten about until this moment. Then he picked up the remaining scatter cushions and used some to make a soft nest for Poland to sit in whilst he watched television. The rest he placed in random locations.

_Finished! _Lithuania was very pleased with what he'd done and he thought his living room looked wonderful. He was as excited as a child on Christmas Eve and he couldn't wait for Poland to see what he'd made for him. There was no way he'd sleep tonight he thought as he switched the lights off and headed for his bedroom but when he finally curled up under his sheets, in a position that rather matched Poland's, he lost consciousness faster than the baby had.


	5. Face your Fears

**Chapter 5: Face your Fears  
**

November 8th

Lithuania woke early and quietly, but hurriedly, washed and dressed himself before scurrying downstairs to prepare things for Poland. Everywhere he went and no matter what he was doing, he moved with a spring in his step. Lithuania went from room to room, opening all the curtains to let the day in. Then he switched on the television in Poland's new indoor playground and tuned into the children's channel.

He made himself a hearty breakfast of bacon, fried eggs and toast and watched the news on the small TV he kept in the kitchen. A lot of it was putting a dampener on his day; miserable stories always seemed to be in the majority. He was about to switch it off when he saw a close up of children playing in one recently renovated swimming pool in Kaunas. Wouldn't it be fantastic to take Poland swimming? The little boy loved playing in the bath after all. Then he thought about Po's age and size and his probable inability to swim. _Darn... _

Then a young woman swam forward to take part in the interview and with her she towed along a child that appeared to be around Poland's current age. The boy was inside and clinging onto an inflatable rubber ring and Lithuania grinned as he knew where he'd be taking Poland today.

Lithuania strode back into his bedroom and found Baby Po yawning and stretching as though he'd only just woken. "Rise and shine, Po!" He said cheerily. "Time to get up"

Poland narrowed his eyes and looked at Lithuania like he wanted to brick him. Poland just wasn't a morning person, it didn't matter how old he was.

Lithuania was in a singing mood and he actually had a pretty good voice. Adult Poland had told him so. However, Poland had never approved of his song choices since the lyrics were in Lithuanian and his language 'offended his ears' as Poland had put it mildly. It was then Lithuania would usually choose to go for a walk down town or into the woods to avoid knocking seven bells out of his annoying friend. He'd never raised his hand against Poland so he had no idea if he could beat him in a one on one fight but he liked to think that he could._Time to get Baby Poland hooked on Lithuanian music_ he grinned wickedly. Though inwardly he was scolding himself for taking advantage of the fact the Poland was in no position to complain or retaliate at the moment.

He set about changing Poland's diaper and began to sing one of his favourite songs; _Ar mylit ja jūs?'_ by Marijonas Mikutavičiaus. Poland wriggled and squirmed as he usually did when Lithuania tried to get clothes off or on him. If Adult Poland was being difficult, Lithuania found his patience wore thin very quickly but when Baby Poland was being difficult he thought it was adorable. It was just one of those things you could only find charming in a young child.

As he brushed Poland's hair and styled it, Lithuania suddenly sang out even louder; he was at the best part of the song. Baby Po was puzzled. Tall thing seemed rather energetic and smiley this morning, not to mention a lot of noise was coming out of his mouth and he didn't understand any of it. He wasn't sure if he should let him carry him today... Baby Po tried to escape. Lithuania caught him before he fell off the bed.

Lithuania gave him a troubled look "Be careful, Po."

Downstairs, Lithuania gave Po his bottle in the kitchen which felt a bit strange to the baby who was used to the pair of them settling down on the sofa for that. Lithuania wanted Po to have his breakfast now lest the baby forget all about it once he saw what was waiting in the living room for him. Poland finished his bottle and offered it to Lithuania. He only did that when it was empty; Lithuania guessed Po cared more about his unicorn than he did about him because he'd offered that gaudy thing a drink last night!

_Never mind_. He thought as he carried Poland through to the living room. He stood on the outside of the den and let Po take in the marvellous view of his new play room. Po was as silent as ever but his tiny jaw had dropped in awe. Lithuania took a giant step over the wall of cushions and placed Poland in the middle of everything.

"Go on then!" Lithuania encouraged him.

Poland hurriedly crawled over to the ball pit first, sat up and hung over the edge to grab one of the purple balls. He showed it to Lithuania then threw it back in and tried to join it in the pool. Lithuania thought about helping Poland haul himself over the edge but, with enough effort, the baby managed it himself. Poland sank into the pit and began to go crazy with the balls that were attempting to drown him; he kicked at them and swept them away he his arms and he threw them. Lithuania laughed at him as he stole a couple of chair cushions and shoved them beside the pool, hoping they'd make it easier for Poland to get in and out on his own in future.

Poland slowly fought his way across the pool and noticed the bottom of the slide. He pointed at it with his arm shaking wildly and looked at Lithuania to make sure he knew it was there too. Lithuania didn't need to be told that he was now supposed to let Poland have a go on it. He placed Po at the top and the little boy slid down by himself, completely unafraid. He immediately wanted another go. Lithuania knew this would happen and steeled himself for an hour of lifting Poland.

Poland tired of the slide after about forty minutes. Actually, it wasn't that he'd tired of it, it was more that he'd finally noticed the box house and wanted to inspect it. He crawled out of the pool and onto the cushion steps Lithuania had not long thought to provide then headed over to the box. Po poked his head inside first then the rest of him followed as he settled down for a breather. It wasn't that interesting on the inside until he realized he could peep through the multitude of little square holes and watch what the tall thing was up to. Lithuania had followed him.

Poland selected a hole on the lower right side of the box and was about to spy on Lithuania through it when a green ball popped through. Poland picked it up and examined it briefly before tossing it out the front door. But then a purple ball came through the door! Poland grabbed the intruder and casually threw it outside as well. A blue ball suddenly came down from above and bounced off Poland's shoulder. He chucked that one out the window. Then he could hear laughter. Poland glanced around the doorway into the box and saw the tall thing sat there laughing and the man had a number of the annoying round things in front of him.

The baby crawled out to see him and took the balls away one by one then he pushed them all through the windows in the cardboard house. Po pointed at the box. _They go in there now because I'm out here. _His baby logic was ridiculous and Lithuania couldn't hear what was going on in Po's mind but he was trying hard not to laugh at the serious looking child who was obviously trying to teach him something.

He turned Poland around to show him that his unicorn pal was right behind him. Po sped off towards it and Lithuania released the laugh he'd been trying to hold in. It was love at first sight all over again for Poland as he lavished attention on his equine friend. Lithuania remembered Poland still hadn't had a ride on it yet so he helped Poland into the saddle and held onto him as set the unicorn rocking. Poland got very excitable again and almost fell off from kicking and wriggling about so much. Lithuania, on the other hand, thought it was very boring and his arms got tired. At least they could watch the television and rock at the same time now.

On the children's program, a group of strange looking puppets were going to the beach and he was reminded once more of swimming.

"Would you like to go swimming, Po?" He asked the tot. "I think we should."

He didn't plan on taking Poland to the beach, it was far too cold. He quite fancied driving over to the swimming pool he'd seen on the news that morning though, the newly renovated one in Kaunas. He hadn't visited his old, once temporary capital in a while. Actually, he'd not seen most of his country for many, many years. He was always so busy with paperwork in this modern age. He used to spend all his time hiking; Lithuania liked to be at one with his lands and to know every inch of the terrain. Adult Poland used to complain about the fact he'd never be at home when he tried contacting him for some reason or another.

He recalled that the river and woods near Jurbarkas were very picturesque. When he was younger, during the summer months he'd play in the waters of the Nemunas River around that area. The weather and temperatures at the moment were pitiable but he could still take Poland for a pleasant walk around the area. There was no reason why he couldn't take Poland out for a short hike _and_ a trip to the swimming pool today. They were both in the same direction. It didn't matter if they ended up staying out late; Po could sleep in the car.

_Ah, but we'll both need new swim shorts_. Lithuania recalled he hadn't bought new ones in quite a while and Baby Poland definitely had none so they'd have to head into town first. He put Poland back on the carpet.

He asked Poland "Can you play by yourself for a bit while I sort out our things?" Po shuffled off into the ball pit, which he assumed meant 'Yes, I can.'

Lithuania went to one of his spare bedrooms and pulled out his travel bag and a rucksack from the closet. Back in his own bedroom, Lithuania decided what would be going into each. He picked out a couple of spare romper suits for Poland and enough diapers, wipes, powder and lotion to change Poland five times. If he needed more than that, they could buy some while they were out. He grabbed an extra set of clothes for himself just in case Poland felt like throwing his dinner at him, then he collected a large bath towel for him, a smaller one for Po and a couple of face towels. Lithuania decided to pack a hairdryer as well; wandering around in the cold with wet hair wouldn't be at all nice.

Seeing as it was time for Poland to have his porridge, packing bags was put on hold. Lithuania jogged back into Po's den and found him emptying the paddling pool. Lithuania began to throw all the balls back in and Baby Po frowned at him; _Do you have any idea how long it took me to do this?_ _I'll have to start all over! _Po started throwing out what Lithuania was putting back in.

"Ah, ah! We're not playing now, Po. Breakfast time!" He scooped Po up with one arm and carried him awkwardly as he used his free hand to gather the remaining balls and toss them back into the pool. Baby Po forgave Lithuania for ruining his work the second he tasted that yummy porridge. He cleared the bowl then pointed at a pear in the fruit bowl; _I get that too! _Lithuania obliged and cut it into small pieces for him. Po grabbed a handful and tried to cram them all into his mouth at once. Lithuania looked on despairingly. At some point he was going to have to teach him some table manners.

Lithuania placed Po on the floor, knowing he'd take himself back to the ball pit and probably start trying to empty it again. At least it would keep him entertained while Lithuania did the washing up and finished packing the bags for their daytrip. As usual, he'd have to take a dozen or so jars of puree food because he couldn't say with any degree of certainty which Poland would find acceptable today. He filled a couple of thermos flasks with boiling water and picked up some formula and a several baby bowl sets and plastic bags to put them in once they'd been used.

He dumped the bags in the hall and brought his umbrella over to join the party. Now he just needed to get some thicker clothes and a hat on Po. He stepped through to collect the impish child who, as he'd expected, was throwing balls everywhere again.

"Come on, you little villain. Save some of your energy for the big pool."

* * *

Poland felt smothered by all the layers he was expected to wear inside the warm car and pulled his hat off three minutes into the journey. Lithuania had expected him to do that as well. It was a bit stuffy inside his car though so he turned the heating down a touch and turned on the radio for the traffic and weather reports. It looked like wouldn't be running into any problems.

Twenty minutes later, they were in a sportswear store looking at new swim shorts for Lithuania. He'd hoped they'd have some in the colours of the Lithuanian flag but they didn't and he was disappointed. Most of the shorts were outrageously showy in Lithuania's view; he wouldn't be seen dead in some of the flowery, Hawaiian themed garments. Poland's choices were worse. The baby seemed to want to see Lithuania in some tight leopard print shorts that would leave nothing to the imagination.

"I am not wearing those! I can't think of a soul who would!" Lithuania spluttered. His view on leopard print was that it was something slightly naughty to wear in the bedroom and that was it.

Lithuania took a pair of plain, dark blue swim shorts off the rack. _These will do_. Baby Po looked unimpressed with the conservative design.

"There doesn't seem to be anything that will fit you though" He remarked to Po as he circled the section devoted to swimwear for children.

Lithuania felt someone tap him on the shoulder and when he turned he found himself looking down at a very short, stout lady with glasses on. He was about to ask if he could help her with something but it turned out she wanted to help him.

"You won't find anything for a child his age. You want swim diapers, reusable ones are the best." She informed him. She sounded like an expert.

"You can buy diapers that are designed to be used in water?" He asked.

"Good heavens... What were you going to do? Put an ordinary diaper on him and some little shorts on top of that?" She looked bewildered. "Diapers absorb things, dear. He'd have taken on water and sunk like a rock."

Lithuania was speechless. He could've _drowned_ Poland.

The woman could tell how upset the young man was by the fretful look on his face. She attempted to comfort him by putting her hand on his arm and telling him "There, there, dear. It's alright. Nothing bad happened. He's fine." The woman went on. "I guess he's your first then. You don't really look old enough to be a father yet, if you don't mind me saying it."

_But I am. Compared with you, I'm ancient! And they say wisdom comes with age. Hah!_ Lithuania castigated himself. He really didn't know what else to say except thank the woman.

"It's alright, dear. I expect you'd like to know where you can get some swim diapers from." She smiled at him.

"Yes, please" He responded a little meekly.

"They sell them in some supermarkets and pharmacies. There's a good chance whatever swimming pool you're visiting will sell them too; they won't want poop floating in the water." She grinned at him.

"Do they look like ordinary diapers?" Lithuania asked. "More or less. But they're always brightly coloured or have some snazzy design on them like actual swim shorts."

Lithuania cheered up now he knew what he was looking for "I see. Thank you!"

"No problem. Bye now, dears! Enjoy yourselves" With that she was off, presumably to finish her shopping or to educate another hapless male on childcare.

"Bye!" Lithuania shouted after.

On the lady's advice, Lithuania walked to a nearby store and found a pack of swim diapers. While he was there a baby sling caught his eye. It could be worn on the front or back and was suitable for carrying children that were Poland's age. Lithuania thought it would be nice to gain the use of both his hands whilst still being able to hold Poland close so he picked up one of those as well. He'd use it as soon as they reached Kaunas.

* * *

Two hours later they arrived at the indoor swimming pool in Kaunas. The drive had taken as long as he'd thought it would. They'd had to stop once to get gas and something to eat and a second time to change Poland's diaper but the baby had been very well behaved throughout the entire journey. Once he'd parked the car, Lithuania decided it was time to try out the new baby sling. He chose to wear it at the front for its first test; if it was defective and Poland fell, he'd prefer the baby to be where his arms were waiting to catch him.

Lithuania wandered over to what looked like the right place to pay for entry for the two of them.

A smiley, young blonde woman greeted him "Hello there" She looked at Poland in his sling. "Are you here for the 'Waterbabies Swim Class'? You're a little early."

"I'm sorry I don't know what that is. We just turned up. Does he have to be part of a class to swim here?" Lithuania was confused; he didn't think there would be restrictions.

"It's not a class exactly. They aren't taught to swim because they're too young to learn. It's more about experiencing the water, having fun and socializing." She explained. "At certain times of certain days we reserve one of the pools for parents and babies."

"Oh! I see. And one of these classes is soon?" Lithuania asked.

"Yes, in about... fifty minutes. Would you like to join the class then? Is it just the two of you?"

"Yes and yes" Lithuania paid the entrance fee.

"Here you go."The woman said as she pushed two orange coloured bands towards him. "One for you to wear and one for him. The class lasts two hours by the way. If I were you I'd grab a coffee and wait in the seating area. You don't want to be stood waiting in the changing rooms for almost an hour." She was still smiling.

"Thank you. I'll do that"

Lithuania ordered a coffee and took a seat near the window then he inspected the bands he'd been given. One was smaller than the other and obviously intended for Poland. The strap was a bit like a plastic watch only it lacked a face and had the date, time and the name of the facility stamped on it. Poland snatched the little one.

"That one was yours anyway, silly." Lithuania smiled and ruffled Po's hair. He took the smaller band back and fastened it around Poland's wrist then he put his own on. Poland inspected his band then tried to chew on it.

They looked through magazines together and people watched for a while until Poland needed his diaper changing. They used the baby changing facilities nearby and when they returned to the seating area Lithuania noticed that gradually more and more people with very young children were arriving. He caught the eye of the receptionist who nodded at him and indicated that she thought it would be a good time for him to enter the changing rooms, so he grabbed his rucksack and wandered through.

Inside were lots of individual changing cubicles and lockers. Lithuania took a key to one of the lockers then chose a cubicle and locked the door after he'd entered. There wasn't much space inside and a wide seat took up most of the standing space, two people stood side by side would struggle to change without bumping into each other. He was glad he didn't suffer from claustrophobia. However, the room wasn't a completely enclosed space as there was no ceiling and there was a good sixty centimetre gap between the bottom of the cubicle wall and the floor. If he were to stand on top of the seat, he'd be able to spy on people getting changed in the adjacent cubicles. Not that he would do that, it was just something he'd thought possible.

Lithuania pulled Poland out of the baby sling and placed him on the seat before wrestling the sling off himself and removing his long winter coat. He helped Poland out of the little coat and booties he'd been trying to shuck off all day and then he took off his jumper and trousers, leaving him in his thin romper suit. Lithuania picked up a few swim diapers and showed them to Po.

"Which one shall we put on you?" He asked the little boy. Po's hand shot out to grab the red and white diaper. _Of course..._ Lithuania needn't have bothered asking. "Those colours don't really suit you, Po." Ah. He hoped no one heard that. _Remember, you are called Marijonas and Po is called Kęstutis. _

Respecting Poland's decision, Lithuania finished undressing the baby then put his requested nationalistic swim diaper on him. Baby Po was mildly surprised that the tall thing wasn't putting more clothes on him and didn't seem to be thinking about trying to. That meant he could be almost naked! He started crawling around the large seat in celebration.

Seeing that Poland was busy amusing himself, Lithuania began to undress. He worked from top to bottom, first pulling off his sweater and his shirt and tying his hair back then removing his shoes, socks and his slacks. All that was left to come off were his boxers and that was when he noticed he had an audience; Baby Po was sat staring at his crotch again. Lithuania decided to use his patented method of distracting voyeuristic babies and dropped a large towel on Poland's head and turned him around so that he faced the corner. Then Lithuania almost fell over as he hurried to take off his boxers and get his swim shorts on before Poland could see again.

Poland appeared to be having a real struggle trying to find his way back out. Lithuania lifted the towel off him and Baby Po blinked as he was dazzled by the light. Their clothing was in a complete state of disarray. _I should have been folding them as I removed them_. There wasn't much space for folding clothes on the seat though so Po would have to go on the floor for a bit.

"Stay by me" He ordered the child then quickly set about organizing their clothes and towels. Po didn't seem to want to go anywhere as he'd discovered Lithuania's legs were quite hairy and fun to pet. They failed to keep him amused for long though...

"What the...!? Whose kid is this!?" Someone shouted.

Lithuania looked down and sure enough, Poland had crawled off.

"Mine!" Lithuania called back as he threw open the door to his changing cubicle and rushed out. He almost ran into the man who was holding Poland. Lithuania took Poland from the man and the guy looked happy to be rid of him.

"I'd just got undressed when _that_ crawled under the door and just sat there, staring at me! It looked like she was checking me out!" The man looked peeved.

"I'm sorry, he likes to do that and I don't know _WHY_!_" _Lithuania's voice came out unintentionally high and shrilly as Baby Po discovered Lithuania had nipples and chose that moment to pinch one. Lithuania wished the ground would swallow them both.

The man Poland had been spying on had enough and locked himself back in his cubicle. Lithuania glared at the tot and whispered "If you ever do that again, Vilnius will become your capital!" Then he went to collect their things and shoved them into their locker.

* * *

There were three different sized pools before him when he left the changing room. Lithuania scanned the giant room and thought he could see the parent and baby group in the one right at the back. He picked up a pair of small floats and an inflatable rubber ring for Poland and then gingerly made his way to where he was supposed to be. He hated the floor surrounding pools as he always felt like he could slip at any second. As he was walking he heard a young child talking loudly to his mother.

"Mommy, what happened to that man's back?"

"Ssh! I don't know, Sweetie. Maybe he was in an accident?"

Lithuania didn't bother to look around because he knew they meant him. His body was covered in scars but there were many large ones on his back that were wide and deep. Painful to touch and still painful to think about despite the fact they'd been a part of him for many years now, they were the main reason he wouldn't let people see him in any state of undress. Today was a bizarre exception as he'd completely forgotten about them. _I guess I've just been so distracted lately my scars slipped my mind..._ Only Poland could get him like that.

As the other parents watched him approach he suddenly began to feel quite shy. Lithuania really didn't like strangers focusing their attention on him anymore than Poland did. He just dealt with it better than Poland.

He slowly descended the three giant steps into the pool and found he could comfortably stand on the bottom. Poland, however, wasn't very comfortable at all, in fact, the baby was terrified. He frantically tried to shinny further up Lithuania's body and wrapped his arms around the man's neck and clung onto him like his life depended on it. Lithuania was stunned.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of the water?! You love playing in it in the bath!"

Poland trembled against him and buried his face in Lithuania's neck. Lithuania couldn't decide whether to continue wading toward the group or try and calm Poland down first. He stroked the baby's back and whispered to him that everything was okay as one of the women swam over to join them.

"Oh, is he scared? Bless him!" She sounded more amused by Poland's plight than she felt sorry for him.

"Apparently he is. I don't know why though. He's not scared of the bath." Lithuania replied.

"Yes, but this is a very BIG bath. Isn't it?" She was talking to Poland now.

"He's actually really shy as well so I'm not sure joining a class was a good idea on my part..." Lithuania admitted.

"Well, hiding in the background forever isn't possible. Come join us!" She waded back towards the other mothers. He seemed to be the only adult male again; something he couldn't quite get used to. Lithuania decided to follow her but he still hang back a little, not fully integrating with the group but listening to everything that was said. One of the women seemed to be quite popular and everyone was trying to talk to her simultaneously. She caught Lithuania looking at her and she smiled at him so he smiled back then she made a show of clearing her throat as though she were preparing to address everyone in the swimming pool. The other ladies quietened to be able to hear her.

"Hello everyone! I see we have a couple of new members today so for their benefit I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Gabriele and I run this class but I don't really like to call it that, you'll see we're very informal here and your little ones aren't ready to learn how to swim... yet. You can think of these sessions as preparing them for the swimming lessons they'll have when they're older but these classes are really just about making baby feel comfortable and safe in the water and having fun. Now, you can stay here by me or go off in little groups or go play with your baby on your own, do whatever you both feel comfortable with. I'll come round and see everyone and give you some tips if you'd like them. Okay?" Everyone nodded in unison, even Lithuania.

Lithuania took a few steps back and wondered what he should do with Poland. He felt a bit lost and he probably looked it too so he wasn't surprised when Gabriele came over to see them first.

"Hello" She said in a pleasant voice. "This here" She gestured at Poland with both hands. "Is a baby who could do gaining some confidence in the water. Who is going to teach him confidence?"

"You?" Lithuania offered.

"No, you are." Gabriele grinned at him. "He'll get it from you but first you're going to have to relax a bit. It's not just him clinging onto you at the moment; you're also clinging onto him."

Lithuania checked his arms and realized he was holding Po a little tightly so he loosened his grip.

Gabriele seemed satisfied with that "Now, shall we walk a bit?" She said. "Just hold him the way you are for now and we'll let him decide when he wants to let go." So they began to wade through the water, following the edge of the pool.

"This is his first time in a public swimming pool?" Gabriele asked.

"Yes. I didn't expect him to be afraid of it; he goes crazy in the bath at home. Really excitable and happy."

"What do you do with him in the bath?" "Well, he likes to throw rubber ducks, sink ships and soak the walls and the floor"

Gabriele laughed and Poland slowly turned his head by tiny degrees to have a look at the person who was making the noise. Gabriele stole a glance at Poland's face.

"Oh look at those eyes! He's gorgeous." Lithuania felt an odd kind of pride when she said that.

"Are you gorgeous?" He playfully asked the child cuddling against him. He messed up Po's hair with his fingers and smirked as the boy got annoying and tried to bat his hand away. At last Poland was releasing his vice like grip on Lithuania's neck.

"Now, continue to hold him against you but drop him down a bit so most of him is in the water." Lithuania followed Gabriele's advice and Poland didn't seem to mind.

"That's it. Now we'll continue to walk forwards and backwards, that way he'll get a better feel of the motion of the water against him" So they carried on.

Gabriele asked how he was enjoying being a 'father' and what kind of things he did with Poland. Lithuania found himself telling her all sorts of things, she was very easy to talk to and a good listener. It was unfortunate that a lot of the things he told her happened to be lies; he didn't have a wife who had been in a car crash and he hadn't been raising Poland alone for several weeks. He liked being praised for making such an effort with his 'son' though. He had been working hard for Poland's sake.

"He seems a lot calmer now" Gabriele commented. "Would you like to try holding him away from you, see how he reacts?"

"So I just hold him at an arm's length in the water?" Lithuania wanted to make sure he understood correctly. Gabriele nodded.

Lithuania slowly stretched out his arms and Po watched the distance between them increase. His brow furrowed a little but he didn't fuss, instead he looked all around and then at his own reflection.

"I'd say that was a good reaction. You can try him in that rubber ring I saw you carrying earlier. If he's also fine in there I'd say you're free to have fun for the rest of the session."

"Okay, thank you" Lithuania said happily. He felt much more relaxed now.

"Just remember; confidence!" With that, Gabriele left to check on the other new members.

Lithuania pulled Poland back in to his chest and then waded back over to the inflatable rubber ring he was borrowing. It seemed to have wandered off on its own since it wasn't where he'd left it. He slipped Poland inside and made sure both his legs went through the holes at the bottom. Lithuania held onto one of the dinky handles at the side to make sure the ring didn't try to flee with Po still inside it. Po was patting and pinching the ring and studying it curiously. _Please just don't bite it_ Lithuania thought. Then Po gave Lithuania a look that said '_what the hell is all this about?_'

"See? It's not scary, is it?" Lithuania asked the baby, who honestly didn't look sure.

Lithuania wondered how Poland would react if he moved away from him so he pushed off the ground with his foot to propel himself backwards through the water. Straight away Poland noticed he'd left him and started frantically trying to reach him. The baby actually managed to move forward a little. _He must be kicking like crazy as well..._ Lithuania observed. He returned to Poland immediately to put the child out of his misery. Poland grabbed Lithuania's nose to prevent him from taking off again or perhaps that was his way of punishing him.

"Okay, okay. I won't leave you again." Lithuania said in a nasally voice. "Please let go of my nose."

Poland did as he was asked after one request for a change. He didn't _have_ to let go of Poland for them to have fun, he could drag him around in his rubber ring. Poland was a speed demon; perhaps he'd like it if Lithuania swam fast and towed him along behind? _Only one way to find out..._

"Ready, Po? Want to go fast?" He enthused. He wasn't expecting an answer and Po wasn't expecting the sudden movement as he was almost thrown into the back of the ring when Lithuania suddenly took off into the sidestroke.

Baby Po looked a little astonished at first but his eyes quickly widened in thrilled delight. He started beating his hands on his rubber ring as if he were urging it to go even faster. Lithuania touched the end of the swimming pool and stood up, Po definitely wanted to keep going; he was bouncing up and down in the water and pointing at him _'You! You move now!' _So Lithuania switched sides and headed for the opposite end of the pool, pulling Po along with him.

They quickly passed by the first lady who'd persuaded Lithuania to join them earlier, the one who'd thought that Baby Po being afraid of the pool was adorable.

"Is that the same baby?" She joked as Lithuania powered forward. They also passed Gabriele who was equally amused to see Poland's change of heart.

Lithuania managed another length of the pool before he needed to rest, coming to a halt at the large steps and sitting on one. Poland hadn't had enough yet and pointed in the direction he felt they should be going in.

"You're a slave driver!" Lithuania panted.

Another young mother who was within ear shot heard him and laughed. She looked at him and then as though she was considering something important. After a while she slowly waded over to him, bringing her young daughter with her.

"Hello" She said quietly. She seemed to be a bit shy. "Is this your first time here as well?"

"Yes it is. Sorry if I'm a bit breathless" He looked accusingly at Poland.

She laughed. "It's alright. I saw he was making you work hard."

"You have no idea..." He groaned and tried to lie down in the water, the steps keeping him propped up slightly. He could see Poland was batting at the water and he wasn't sure if Poland was trying to make himself move on his own, but he was at least causing the water to ripple, sending mini tidal waves his way. Off in the distance he could see that most of the woman had formed little groups and were chattering away.

"Why aren't you talking to any of them?" Lithuania asked his reserved companion.

"Why aren't you?" She asked back.

Lithuania grinned. "Don't try to deflect the question. It should be obvious why I'm not joining in. I'm a guy, the ONLY guy. Do you know why everywhere I go I never see any dads?" It was something he'd been puzzling over for a while now.

"I don't know" She said. "Maybe they feel like they'd be outnumbered by women and they find that intimidating?"

Lithuania didn't think that explained anything.

"I'm over here because... Well, I'm not very good around other people and sometimes some of the mums can be very pushy and competitive and I don't deal with it very well" She confessed.

"You're fine talking to me though. For all you know, I could be worse than those women" Lithuania commented wryly.

She looked at Baby Poland who'd appeared to have had this tall man completely under his tiny little thumb a short while ago and she couldn't think of the male being anything but a big softie. She stifled a small giggle.

"At least you're brave enough to bring him here on your own despite knowing you'll be singled out as the only guy."

"I don't really have a choice" Lithuania said.

"Your girlfriend left you and you're raising him alone?" She asked.

"No!" Lithuania cried out. _God damn it! Do I really look so unattractive I'd be unable to keep a woman!? Every woman I meet thinks my partner has either cheated on me or left me altogether! _

"Sorry! It just sounded like... Never mind." The woman's cheeks were red.

Lithuania let out a deep breath. "It's alright" He smiled and glanced over at Poland. 'His' little boy seemed to be drifting off a bit.

"Do you think he's kicking under there?" Lithuania asked. "He seems to be moving."

"Are you going to bring him back?"

"Yes but first I think I'll have some fun with him." Lithuania swam over to Poland, waited for the boy to notice him and then dived under the water.

Baby Po leaned over the edge of his ring to see where tall thing had gone then he jumped. Something had touched his foot! He looked all around him but he couldn't see anything except the woman tall thing had been talking to and who now seemed to be laughing at his confusion. Lithuania suddenly resurfaced, startling the baby. Baby Po thumped his rubber ring then pointed at Lithuania. _You don't do that, you pull this! _Lithuania didn't do as he was told and started slowly circling Baby Po instead. Po seemed to be astounded that Lithuania could move in such a way around the large bath. Lithuania suddenly grabbed the handle on the ring again and dragged Poland off towards the woman who was still sat watching them.

"Want to race?" He asked her.

She laughed "There's no way I'd win"

"It's the taking part that counts!" He told her. "Well, I'm going to have to do a couple of laps with him again or he'll become very grumpy."

"Go on then. Let's see how fast you are" She playfully challenged him.

So Lithuania took off, doing the sidestroke even faster than he had previously. Baby Po was overjoyed to be zooming through the water again. Lithuania knew all eyes were on him as he raced to and fro and he did mind but Po's happiness came first.

He reached the starting point again and his female companion shouted into his waterlogged ear "He hasn't had enough yet!"

"But I have!" He said back. He turned to Po and asked "Can't we do something else?"

"I might try floating on my back and see if he can ride on my stomach. Would you mind helping? Or at least make sure he doesn't fall off?"

"Sure" She said and waded over with her daughter in tow.

Lithuania got onto his back and then tried to keep still and remain afloat. When he looked ready, the woman took hold of one wriggling baby Poland and then gently held him on top of Lithuania's lower sternum. Po looked like he was about to try getting up and crawling then he appeared to change his mind as he opted for laying still and trying to find something to grab onto but there wasn't anything; Lithuania didn't even have chest hair. Lithuania began to do slowly do the backstroke and Baby Po was intrigued but it wasn't as fun as the other thing. It wasn't as fast!

Lithuania found that swimming with a child on top of your chest was quite difficult and he was losing control of his buoyancy so he got to his feet and caught Po as he slipped down his body.

"Not as easy or as fun as swimming the other way" He told the woman. "I'm sorry, I haven't asked for your name." He waited for her to tell him.

"Svajone and her name is Roze" She said, pushing her daughter forward for late introductions.

"It's a pleasure" Lithuania replied. "My name is Marijonas"

"Like the singer?" She interrupted him to ask.

"Yes, like the singer." He grinned awkwardly. Perhaps he should've come up with a more imaginative and less well known name for himself. "His name is Kęstutis"

"Cute" Svajone said. "But I thought I heard you call him Po earlier?"

Lithuania froze on the spot.

"Marijonas?"

Lithuania turned stiffly. "Sorry, I think I have cramp in my leg" He gave a nervous laugh. "Po is kind of his nickname."

Svajone smiled "I think that is very cute too. Actually, I think it suits him better."

Since she'd already heard him use it, he supposed there was no harm in calling him 'Po' in front of Svajone but he'd seriously have to remember to call Poland by his alias in future especially where another country might overhear him.

"What me to swim fast again, Po?" He knew what Poland's answer would be.

Lithuania ended up spending the majority of the two hour class alternating between swimming as fast as his legs could kick and collapsing, breathless, on the steps leading into the pool. Come the end of the session, Poland wasn't the least bit tired and dared to look at Lithuania with disapproving eyes.

Lithuania noticed Po's facial expression and told him off; "Hey! Don't look at me like that! You've just sat there all day."

It was time for them to leave the pool as another class, water aerobics he think he heard someone say, had booked it for the next couple of hours. He walked slowly again as he was still afraid of slipping.

"Excuse me" A female voice came from behind him. He stopped and turned around to see one of the mothers that were just in the pool with him but she was one of the ladies he hadn't spoken to.

"Yes?" He wondered what could be the matter.

"I kind of wanted to ask you earlier but... about those scars on your back..." She said hesitantly and she was avoiding making eye contact.

"Car accident" He replied simply.

"They look more like whip lashes..." She trailed off again.

Lithuania gave her a straight, tight-lipped smile "Who, in this age, would whip a man?"

The woman didn't have an answer.

"Excuse me but I have things to do. Good day to you." He smiled but as he turned away from her he dropped the smile immediately and continued walking towards the changing rooms. He only took one quick glance over his shoulder to see the woman hurrying back to her friends who were waiting for her. She was most likely going to tell them what he'd told her. Lithuania realized that she and the others most likely wanted to ask him earlier but only felt brave enough to do so now that he was leaving and they probably wouldn't encounter him again.

* * *

Lithuania left Poland on the floor while they were in the shower. He'd been relieved to discover that that Po hadn't left a little mess for him in his diaper so he'd be much easier to clean. Lithuania decided he'd be keeping his swim shorts on while he washed but let Poland go in stark naked, something Po was perfectly happy with. The boy had no shame. He sat Poland with his back against the wall while he untied and shampooed his own dark, shoulder length hair then he placed Poland just in front of his feet while he washed the baby's shorter, finer blonde hair. As usual, he tried to prevent the shampoo getting in Po's eyes by covering them with his hand.

Once they'd finished washing and Lithuania had retrieved their things, he selected a changing cubicle that was close to a unit consisting of a large shelf, mirrors and some wall mounted hair dryers. He needn't have bothered bringing his own hair dryer after all. The first thing he did when he entered the cubicle was to set Poland down on the shelf then dump a towel on top of him so couldn't watch Lithuania as he stepped out of his swim shorts. Lithuania granted Poland his sight back only after he'd tied a towel firmly around his waist.

Drying his face, neck and shoulders with another towel while Po tried to wriggle out of his own, Lithuania could hear a gang of males approaching who were cussing and being inconsiderately loud, showing complete disregard for other people and ignoring the fact there were children present. Lithuania groaned. He hated dealing with that sort of people and his scars usually attracted their attention. Also he had a baby to protect. He tried to make his hair less damp by rubbing it roughly with one of the face towels then he combed out some of the knots in his hair. Lithuania gently rubbed down Poland and patted his hair with his towel and then he gave it a little brush. He could still hear the men outside and sighed knowing he'd have to go out there, he just hoped no one would take any notice of him.

He wrapped Poland back up and carried him directly to the shelves and mirrors without looking around or making eye contact with anyone. He sat Poland down so that he was facing him. Poland was sucking on his thumb again and that made Lithuania smile.

Then he heard someone whistle behind him "Look at the scars on the back of that guy."

Someone else responded to the guy but his voice was much lower because he was muttering something under his breath, still, Lithuania thought he heard the words 'tough guy' uttered. It made him feel as though he were being accused of wanting to _show off_ his scars to impress people, which was something he'd never do. He picked up the facility's hair dryer and switching it on drowned out the men's voices.

He wasn't as thorough with drying his hair as he usually was; he blasted his scalp with heat for a couple of minutes, ran a comb through again then quickly tied his hair back. He put the dryer on a lower temperature for Po but made sure his hair was completely dry.

Lithuania picked Poland up and turned to return to their cubicle but found a man, who was only slightly shorter than he, blocking the way. He was looking him straight in the eye and Lithuania _knew_ he was being challenged. He'd encountered this before many times throughout the ages; cocksure and aggressive young males wanting to assert themselves and prove their masculinity through fighting. Lithuania fixed him with a look that could make hell freeze over. The 'tough' guy looked taken aback and actually stepped back a little, checking his footing as he did so. It was then that he noticed Baby Po and looked even more surprised. Now Lithuania was even more concerned; if this guy challenged him to a fight, what could he do with a baby in his arms? If Poland were an adult, Lithuania would worry more for the thugs because Poland would most likely rip off a cubicle door and single-handedly flatten the men with it. The man's eyes met with Lithuania's cold, hard stare once more and appeared to be having second thoughts about whatever he'd intended to do or say to Lithuania before. For one moment he looked like he was about to say something but instead he swallowed his words and sulked off back to his cronies. _All bark and no bite._ Sometimes Lithuania disliked his own people.

_That could have been worse... _Lithuania thought as he dropped a towel on Poland's head again. He gave his lower body a quick rub down then put on his boxers and his slacks before plucking the towel off the baby's head. Baby Po looked annoyed.

Lithuania told him "It's your own fault. You should stop checking men out."

Lithuania finished dressing himself then put a fresh diaper on Po and fought to get his clothes back on him; apparently Poland much preferred being naked even when the weather was chilly. Lithuania was taking no nonsense from him today and ignored his protests and his little kicks. Lithuania packed their things away neatly and pulled on his coat. When they stepped back outside the cubicle, the men who had bothered Lithuania had already gone so they left the changing rooms with no further trouble.

He returned their bands to reception and found that the female receptionist he'd spoken to when they first came in was still there.

"Hello, did you have a nice time?" She asked him pleasantly.

"Yes, thank you. Sorry to bother you but I was wondering, do you know of any child friendly restaurants around here?" He asked.

"I don't know of many... there is a good one on Valanciaus Street. Would you like a map?"

"No, it's fine. I remember where that is. Thank you!" Lithuania called back as he left to find his car in the now bustling car park.

* * *

At the restaurant, Lithuania managed to get Poland to eat his puree with the minimum of fuss and then tucked into his own meal. He asked staff if they could bring Poland a little mashed potato and some mushy peas and baby carrots to try and the greedy baby happily ate all of it. Lithuania wondered where the little thing put it all. He'd enjoyed his traditional meal and dessert and decided to have a coffee before they hit the road once more. They'd have to get a move on quickly; it would take another couple of hours to reach Jurbarkas and it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon. He took Po to the baby changing room and put another clean diaper on him then used the bathroom and they were off again.

Lithuania mixed Poland's formula milk as they were sat in the car and gave it to him to drink during the journey then he switched on the radio and tried humming along with a song he barely knew as they pulled out onto the motorway. Lithuania didn't mind driving as long as there was a pleasant view along the way and not too many roundabouts. He hoped the scenery around Jurbarkas hadn't changed too much since his last visit, for Poland's sake anyway. Lithuania had plenty of good memories about the place and he couldn't wait to see his old stomping grounds.

* * *

Arriving in Jurbarkas, Lithuania was surprised that the town was still so very small despite it having an important road junction built several decades ago. In a way it made him happy to see so few changes to the quaint little town; the traffic was definitely worse but he had no trouble finding somewhere to park.

He bought a packed lunch for them one of the local shops and added that to a small bag with some of Poland's baby food and his hat and umbrella. Lithuania put Po's hat and gloves on him, then slipped the youngster inside his baby sling and decided to carry him on his back this time.

"Let's be off then" He said cheerfully.

Lithuania was used to taking his strolls alone but he made a special effort to talk to Baby Po though he doubted the youngster was interested in anything he had to say. He'd point out a particular tree or bird to Poland or just talk with him about their day and what they'd do later on; anything to prevent the atmosphere from becoming awkward and deafeningly silent.

They walked along the banks of the River Nemunas and Lithuania felt elated when he saw the water; the river was like an old friend to him. Lithuania was sure most of his people also had fond feelings towards it since there were many songs and stories regarding it as such. It always looked much more beautiful in the summer but even in the bleakest of months it still held a unique charm. The water looked much darker than the rest of the landscape, like someone had tipped grey rainclouds into the river. Aside from the water, everything else seemed pale. The trees and bushes were bare having cast aside their foliage in preparation for winter and the ground looked as if it had been bleached of its colour. The sky too was a very light grey. It all made the location feel lonely and forlorn or perhaps even haunted. Lithuania took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp, cold air then he held it for a few seconds and released it slowly. Nothing smelt like this place either.

He could feel Po shuffling against his back. "Shall we go further?" Lithuania told himself 'yes.'

Lithuania walked and walked and as he kept plodding forward he thought about one of his oldest memories; the first time he'd met Poland. They'd been the equivalent of children aged five or six years old and one day they'd literally ran into one another at the border between their lands.

Lithuania had been exploring in his territory, as he'd always liked to do, when something ran from behind a tree and collided with him with such force that they both fell back onto their behinds. When he'd managed to sit back up and open his eyes he saw a little blonde boy staring at him open mouthed. His brow was furrowed, his cheeks were tainted pink and he looked both confused and annoyed at the same time.

The light-haired child got to his feet first and said in a clear but wavering voice; "Who... who are you? And what are you doing in my lands?" He sounded nervous but looked down on Lithuania with his hands held firmly on his hips. He seemed rather bossy.

Lithuania looked dumbfounded. "These are MY lands"

"Liar! I play here all the time! They belong to me: Poland!"

_So this is Poland._ Lithuania stood up and Poland made an odd noise; it sounded something like an 'eep' and then he hid himself behind a tree. He poked his head around the trunk and pointed at Lithuania with a stick he must have found in his refuge. He was shaking. "Th... this is my land! And this is my s-s-stick! And I'll use it on you if you don't leave!"

"These are my lands..." Lithuania repeated. "You can play here if you want. Maybe we can be friends?"

"No way!" Poland shouted as he scrunched his eyes shut and shook his head from side to side so violently that Lithuania thought his head might fall off. "You're a stranger and strangers are scary!" He stopped shaking his head and added: "And you sound funny." He was referring to Lithuania's accent.

"You sound funny too" Lithuania said. Then he made the wrong decision and stepped towards Poland. Quick as a flash, Poland whacked him on the head with his stick then ran away.

"OW!" Lithuania yelled then gave chase. Lithuania was faster than Poland at running but he didn't know what he should do with the boy if he caught him so he made no attempt to grab him.

As they tore across the fields, Lithuania realized that at some point they'd entered what really were Poland's lands and he stopped, unsure whether he should continue or go back home. He didn't want to get in trouble. Poland took advantage of Lithuania's hesitance and shinnied up a tree.

"HAH! I'm faster! And better than you at climbing!" He yelled down at the troubled-looking Lithuanian boy.

Lithuania ambled towards the tree and Poland threw a walnut at him.

"HEY! Don't do that! It'll hurt." Lithuania sulked. "Come down!"

"No way!" Poland shouted back and threw another walnut.

Lithuania was feeling fed up now; he didn't want things thrown at him and he thought someone might appear at any moment and scold him for entering Poland's lands without his permission so he turned and started to head back in the direction they'd just come from.

"Wait!" Poland called. When Lithuania looked back up at him he said "I can't get back down."

"Do you want me to get someone?" Lithuania asked.

"No! I'll get told off. Can't you bring me a ladder?" Poland was looking at him with hope in his eyes.

"I don't know where there is one." Lithuania said. "Maybe someone back home will have one. Shall I go see?"

Poland nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay. I'll be back, I promise. Don't fall okay?" Lithuania shouted then ran back across the border, through the trees and back to the nearest village to ask if he could borrow a ladder.

It was several hours before he turned to the tree where he'd left Poland. His hands were covered in blisters from dragging a huge, wooden ladder across the countryside but when he finally arrived at the right place, Poland had gone. And he didn't see him again for many, many years.

* * *

Lithuania had his eyes closed and was still smiling at the memory. When he opened them again he told Baby Po; "Do you remember what a nuisance you were back then?"

Of course, things hadn't changed. Hundreds of years had passed and he was still running around after Poland and Poland was still entering his lands on a whim. Boundaries meant little or nothing to his headstrong companion but his senseless blonde friend couldn't argue that he had no idea when he was wandering about in Lithuania's lands. Humans were unable to tell whose land they were on unless everything was signposted but countries could _feel _it. When they approached the boundary of another country they felt a tingly sensation; it was a lot like an electric charge. _Come to think of it... I can feel that right now... slightly... _Lithuania was becoming aware of his surroundings.

"Hello, Lithuania" A high but unmistakably male voice called out to him. He froze. He knew _that_ voice well.

He looked up slowly and scanned the horizon for signs of the person he expected to see. There, stood not ten metres from where he was planted to the ground, was Russia. The huge nation appeared to be waiting for him and had two hands resting on top of a large stick in front of him. He'd probably been using it as an aid to walk on the uneven ground but it looked to Lithuania as menacing as the metal pipe Russia used to carry with him in case an opportunity to bludgeon someone arose.

_Lithuania, you fool! You almost walked straight into Russia's territory with Baby Po! _

"Lithuania, you say 'Hello, Russia Sir' when I greet you. Don't you remember?" Russia was smiling with that psychotic grin of his.

"Hello Russia" He said bitterly, he intentionally left off the 'Sir.'

Russia looked disappointed with the response he'd gotten. Then he smiled again "Have you decided you'd like to become one with me? Is that why you're here?"

"No. I was just taking a walk and thinking and lost track of where I was." Lithuania replied.

A cold breeze had picked up, causing their long coats to flap audibly in the wind. Poland had become very still behind him, Lithuania was scarcely aware that he was there. For him, right at that moment it seemed as though he and Russia were the last two men alive in this barren land, staring each other out. _Don't let him psych you out, Lithuania. Don't._ He told himself. He wanted to walk off but then Russia would see Poland if the man continued to stare after him.

"If you come back with me, I'll let you spend time with my sister. You like Belarus, don't you?" Russia was trying to bribe him.

"Liked." Lithuania said, putting emphasis on the 'D' "Past tense."

"Oh... Then who do you like now? I can give them to you. Give you their lands as well. Make Lithuania even bigger, da? Like he used to be" Russia was still grinning. "But only if you agree to be under my rule again"

"No, thank you" Lithuania answered through gritted teeth.

Russia tried again. "You wouldn't even like to own Poland? You could treat him as a dog, like he treats you."

"He doesn't!" Lithuania shouted. Now he was getting annoyed and Russia looked delighted.

It was then that Baby Po decided to peek around Lithuania's side. Russia noticed him immediately, something Lithuania found ironic as Russia always seemed to be oblivious to Poland's presence, even if the blonde was threatening him to his face with 'I'm going to make Warsaw your capital!.' Russia lost his smile.

"What is that? A baby? Why do you have that?" Russia looked genuinely refused to answer. Poland only stared at them.

"That baby..." Russia began slowly. _Oh God! He knows! He knows it is Poland! _Lithuania began to panic. "... Is cute, da?" Russia said with a smile on his face. Lithuania doubted Russia found things or people cute. He recalled a time when Russia had said more or less the same thing, with the same uninterested tone, after seeing Lithuania's pet dog. Did that mean he felt Baby Po was comparable to a dog? Lithuania bristled.

Russia began to step towards Lithuania. "And it looks very stupid" Russia finished. That did it.

"Fuck you!" Lithuania snarled.

"I beg your pardon?" Russia looked stunned.

"You heard me! Get the fuck away from my land! If you take one step over here I'll run you into the Baltic Sea, take back the land you stole from me and unite with my brothers to burn Moscow down to the ground! And who will fight for you, Russia _Sir_, Hm? No one. Because every ally you ever had fought for you only because they were afraid of you. Well, you don't scare me, Russia! BE GONE!"

Russia was shocked by the tirade of abuse coming out of Lithuania's mouth. No one ever shouted at him and Lithuania was the meekest and mildest country he'd ever known and he'd never asserted himself before. Ever. Right now Lithuania looked like an enraged beast. Russia stepped back.

Russia was about to speak but Lithuania cut him off before he had chance to utter a single word.

"Don't say a word. I don't want to hear anything you have to say. And I don't want to look at you anymore either." With that Lithuania turned on his heels and headed back the way he'd came. For once, he didn't feel as though he'd been made to leave; he felt as if he were leaving his old world behind.

Russia stared after Lithuania's retreating form in disbelief and wondered why he looked so big.

* * *

Lithuania kept going until Russia was nothing more than a tiny speck on the horizon and then released the breath he'd be holding. His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it in his head and he was almost convinced he was about to have a heart attack. His palms were sweaty and he felt cold all over. He inhaled slowly and deeply over and over trying to make himself calm.

"What have I done!?" He cried out painfully. _You've practically declared war on one of the strongest countries in the land, that's what you've done._ Why had he done it? _Why, why, why, why, why, why..._

He quickly unattached the sling that Poland was in then held the bewildered baby close to his chest but Baby Po didn't need the hug, Lithuania did. Lithuania squeezed Poland for the duration of their long, silent walk all the way back to his car.

* * *

As soon as he'd slammed the car door shut, Lithuania started the engine so he could have the heating on then he laid back and covered his eyes with his hands. He wished he could undo it all. Wished he could go back in time to avoid the incident he'd just had with Russia. But he couldn't. With his bones feeling less chilled, Lithuania let his hands fall from his face and into his lap and glanced at Poland. The baby was observing him with concerned green eyes.

"I'm alright, Po" He said quietly and ruffled the boy's hair. "We never ate our sandwiches and I don't feel like eating them now." He sighed. "Let's go to that restaurant I saw earlier instead. Eat real food! Then we'll go back home." Lithuania pretended to sound a lot happier than he actually felt.

* * *

For once Lithuania didn't mind being surrounded by lots of people. The restaurant was small, busy and fairly noisy thanks to the crowds chattering away and he would normally find that irritating but this time it helped Lithuania feel less alone and his fear began to dissipate. He ordered lots of fatty and sweet flavoured food for the both of them which they eagerly devoured, especially Po who was thrilled to be getting away with stealing a bit of everything. Lithuania was letting him.

Lithuania knew it would be quite late when they reached his home in Vilnius and that Po would fall asleep in the car. There'd be no chance of Po having a bath when they got in but Lithuania thought that might be okay, he'd had a shower at the swimming pool earlier after all. He took Poland to the baby changing room and put a clean diaper on him and washed his face with a wet wipe. _He's clean enough._

Before they began their journey home, Lithuania took Poland's coat and booties off him and covered him with a blanket instead. He'd keep the heating on all the way home for Poland as well so he would be warm enough.

Lithuania switched the radio on again and decided they would listen to it until Poland's normal bedtime. He tried to avoid the music stations with songs that he felt inappropriate for someone Poland's age. Then again, hadn't he sworn in front of the baby repeatedly earlier on? He felt ashamed of himself for doing that. Sighing, he tuned into the news to hear some miserable stories but at least there was nothing on that station that would cause Poland's ears to bleed.

They had to stop once so that Lithuania could use a restroom and get some more gas. He also mixed Poland's formula milk so that he could have his last bottle in the car. _Hopefully, he'll drift off right after drinking that... _

Poland's eyes were looking like they could snap shut at any time and not open for the rest of the night. He seemed to be struggling internally with his desire to sleep and his desire to finish his bottle. He used every last drop of his willpower to fight to stay awake until he got that very last bit of milk and then his mouth fell open, the bottle fell on the floor and Poland fell asleep, all in an instant. Lithuania chuckled to himself and switched off the radio. He'd have to travel the rest of the way in silence.

* * *

Lithuania crept quietly back into his house some time after ten at night with a baby in his arms who was in the middle of the deepest slumber he could ever recall witnessing. Poland was in such a deep sleep, he wasn't even aware that Lithuania had slammed the car door shut and then cursed himself for his stupidity. Lithuania tried not to make a sound after that little mistake and in trying to be quiet he found himself travelling across the driveway and through his house at a snail's pace. He wouldn't even allow the doors to click shut; he simply left them slightly ajar with the intention of coming back downstairs to close them properly after he'd put Poland to bed.

He laid Poland down gently inside his crib and tucked him in then put his bedside lamp on so he could see where he was going when returned to put himself to bed. Lithuania hurried downstairs and locked the front door and turned all the lights off then he returned to his bedroom. He'd decided he was having an early night tonight if only because he didn't want to sit downstairs alone and dwell on the things he'd said to Russia. Having Baby Po with him was comforting and the baby didn't have to be beside him for the magic to work; just being in the same room as the carefree little bundle of joy and drool was enough. As he closed his eyes, Lithuania hoped he'd sleep as soundly as Poland that night.

* * *

Lithuania's eyes shot open but all they could see was darkness. He was confused; once he was asleep he usually remained asleep until his alarm clock sounded. He glanced at the clock and calculated that he'd been asleep for roughly four and a half hours and it was still night time. Poland wasn't crying so it couldn't have been the baby who woke him and Lithuania couldn't recall dreaming, he'd certainly not had a nightmare anyway so that couldn't be the reason for him being awake either. He closed his eyes and listened for a bit and the house was peacefully quiet so he snuggled further beneath his blankets and tried to doze back off.

Lithuania was half asleep when he thought he heard a thud. He opened his eyes again and strained, trying to make out even the smallest noise but the harder he tried to hear, the quieter the house seemed to be. _Is my mind playing tricks on me?_

_**thud** _

Lithuania was certain that he was not imagining the noises now. Another thud. Something falling over? Then he was sure he could hear heavy footsteps at the bottom of the stairs. Panic began to rise in his chest. _There's someone in my house!_

He thought he could hear the sound of several people rapidly ascending the stairs. _How many are there!? _Lithuania smacked on his bedside light and sat bolt upright in his bed as the door opened. A huge person filled the whole doorway. It was Russia.

"Hello again, Lithuania" Russia smiled at him. "I am sorry to be disturbing your sleep"

"Bullshit." Lithuania retorted. "What are you doing here?! I told you earlier what would happen if you set foot in my lands, didn't I!?" He was shouting now, his voice sounding increasingly angry.

"Yes. And I think I understand why you said those awful things, Lithuania." He stepped to the end of the bed. "You were doing it to protect someone."

"What?" Lithuania asked.

Russia continued "You were doing it to protect Poland. Admirable but misguided and I think I might be able to forgive you for it one day"

"What are you talking about? Protect Poland? He's in his house and I haven't seen him in ages. He has nothing to do with our conversation earlier." Lithuania wondered how convincing his lies sounded.

Russia grinned at him. "I know your secret, Lithuania!" He raised a giant hand and pointed towards Po's crib. "THAT is Poland. What fun we are going to have with him!" The crazed Russian man clapped his hands together.

"We?" Lithuania asked quietly. His mouth was as dry as summer dust.

Two men stepped into the room. One of them had dark hair, wore glasses and looked like an aristocrat. Lithuania knew it was Austria. The other man was tall and muscular with blonde, slicked back hair and piercing blue eyes and Lithuania recognized at once that it was Germany and he was striding towards Baby Poland's threw back the covers on his bed and attempted to rush to protect Poland but his leg got tangled in his sheets and he fell to the floor. In an instant, Russia stood on his back to prevent him from getting up. The heavier male ground the heel of his boot into Lithuania's scars and Lithuania howled from the pain.

Then he heard an awful, shrill scream. He craned to see his Baby Po being lifted from his bed by his neck. Germany was holding him in the air with one hand squeezing his throat. The baby was wailing in terror and pain, tears streamed from his eyes and his face was turning pink. Tears ran down Lithuania's face too.

"Stop hurting him!" Lithuania shouted and tried in vain to struggle free. Russia giggled.

Lithuania shouted louder "YOU BASTARDS! HE'S JUST A BABY!"

Russia couldn't contain himself and laughed louder and longer. Austria looked completely disinterested in their plight while Germany looked down on Lithuania and his eyes told him that he was next.

"Found one!" Another voice called out. Lithuania turned his head violently to the side to see who else had invaded his home. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"P-Prussia? I thought you were gone" Lithuania was shocked.

Prussia snorted at him then turned to Germany and Austria "Let's do this! You better hold him still because I don't want a shoddy part!"

Germany maintained his cruel grip on Poland's neck while Austria grabbed the child's legs and held them taut. Baby Po wailed even louder. Prussia lifted a saw... Lithuania realized in horror and disgust what they were planning on doing; they were partitioning Poland. They were going to divide him into four this time.

"No..." Lithuania shook his head, he was still crying. "NO!" He tried to reach him. "POLAND! POOLLLLAAAAAAAAND!"

* * *

Lithuania jolted up and flicked the light on. He was sweaty, gasping for breath and his entire face felt damp with tears. The first thought on his mind was to make sure no one else was in his room; he looked all about the space but there was only he and Poland or so he hoped. Lithuania rushed to Po's crib to check on the baby. Poland was still sleeping soundly and hadn't been harmed in any way. Lithuania had been having nothing more than a terrible nightmare. Fresh tears came as he recalled the awful and frightfully real dream he'd had. Lithuania couldn't even begin to express his relief that it had all been in his head.

He gently stroked Baby Po's cheeks and asked "Do you ever have bad dreams too?" Poland stirred in his sleep but didn't wake.

Lithuania flopped back onto the bed and dried his eyes on his pillow; he was sure he'd have sore eyes tomorrow morning. Lithuania did not manage to fall asleep again until it was almost dawn and he tossed and turned for the remainder of the night as his smiling enemies tormented him in his dreams.


	6. Peace Begins with a Smile

**Chapter 6: Peace Begins with a Smile  
**

November 9th

Having barely had a wink of sleep and spent most of the night crying, Lithuania woke feeling exhausted and drained of all his high spirits. He checked himself in the mirror and, as he'd expected, his eyes were sore and a little puffy. The Dark circles around his eyes made him look as tired as he felt. His hair was a mess and his skin looked unusually pale. All in all he looked like death warmed up and he wasn't sure if it was just tiredness alone that he felt or if he was also feeling a bit ill. He hoped he wasn't sick because he had a very young person depending on him.

Lithuania checked on Poland and found that he was quite awake and busy playfully kicking at his sheets, at least that's what he _was_ doing until he spotted Lithuania. The baby ceased all movement and looked at him as though he didn't even recognize him.

"Morning, Po" Lithuania said wearily in a voice that was little more than a whisper.

Lithuania approached his morning routine sluggishly and without a hint of emotion. He barely even thought about what he was doing; performing the tasks as though he was a programmed machine. Baby Po wasn't used to anything but a chatty, energetic Lithuania and was staying uncharacteristically still. The infant was so puzzled by Lithuania's new demeanour that he didn't get up to any mischief or even wriggle around like he usually would while the man changed his diaper and tried to wash and dress him. Lithuania didn't even notice the effect his pensive mood was having on little Poland.

At breakfast, Lithuania was still brooding on his horrid nightmare and how tired he was. Sipping his first coffee of the day seemed to make him slightly more alert though and it was as though his brain were finally switched to the 'on' position. He moved with greater purpose as he set about making Poland's first bottle feed though he paid less attention to the youngster than he normally did. Baby Po noticed it. As the man wandered to and fro, doing this and that, Poland held his arms up, indicating that he'd like for Lithuania to hold him but Lithuania was completely oblivious to the baby's gesturing. After a while, Po lowered his arms and looked saddened.

_I'll do some paperwork today. It'll take my mind off things and besides, I really need to do some. _Lithuania thought to 'd give Poland his bottle first and then have some breakfast. Po would probably be fine playing by himself in his den while he worked; after all, he only really needed Lithuania when he wanted to go down the slide.

Baby Po looked hopeful when Lithuania finally faced him, bottle in hand, and carried the youngster into the living room. When Lithuania had taken over from Hungary, Poland had been indifferent about it initially but now the baby actually looked forward to snuggling on the sofa with Lithuania and his bottle. Lithuania sat in a more upright position to feed Poland this time instead of lying down; he wanted to get his breakfast and start work as soon as possible so it would be better not to get too comfortable. He sat and stared off into space, visualizing organizing his paperwork. Baby Po thought he would quite like to get Lithuania's nose and went for it but it was well out of his reach. _Finish milk, get nose_ thought Baby Po. His to-do list was considerably smaller than Lithuania's.

Unfortunately for Poland, Lithuania was faster than he was and the second the baby finished his bottle, Lithuania took the empty vessel into the kitchen and then placed Poland inside his den thus thwarting Poland's plan to grab, and eventually maul, the man's nose.

Baby Po crawled over to greet his unicorn with enthusiastic pats and cuddles while Lithuania raided the kitchen for another cup of coffee and several slices of toast which he took with him into the living room / baby's indoor play room. Lithuania glanced over the top of the pillow wall and could see Po fussing over his hideous rocking horse. He gave a slight smile then retreated to a small writing desk he'd left in the rear corner of the room. He sat down to shuffle through his paperwork and groaned; there was a lot to read and sign.

Lithuania focused intently on the first paper, only occasionally remembering to take a bite of toast which was fast becoming cold along with his coffee. He was only vaguely aware of Po shuffling around, and most likely throwing things, inside his den. After a while he could hear nothing at all and he thought it was too early in the day for Po to be taking a nap so he'd better see why he was being so quiet. He'd just gotten to his feet when Po popped out of the gap in the wall that Lithuania had left for him. The baby was looking around, possibly for him. Lithuania glanced at the clock and realized it was time for Po to have his bowl of porridge. _Perhaps his tummy told him it was time_ Lithuania smiled softly.

Po performed an odd kind of shuffling dance as he sat in his high chair and slurped his porridge mixed with ripe pear. Lithuania couldn't believe Poland never felt like vomiting; his stomach must be full and whirling about like a merry-go-round more or less twenty-four hours a day. Lithuania grabbed a piece of fruit for himself, whether he was aware of it or not himself, Lithuania tended to snack more when he was feeling a bit down in the dumps.

When they'd finished eating and the washing up was done, Lithuania popped Po back inside his den and returned to his desk and his mountain of work. _I hate reading_ Lithuania decided but that wasn't true, what he actually meant was that he hated having to read _boring_ paperwork. He heard the unmistakable sound of a baby belly flopping into a hoard of toy plastic balls and wished he could trade places with Poland. He carefully considered the writing in front of him and tried not to become distracted by the background noise of Poland rampaging through the ball pit. Lithuania was concentrating so hard on what he was reading that he didn't even notice when the room suddenly fell silent and Baby Po poked his head through the gap in the pillow wall.

Lithuania jumped in his seat when he felt something on his leg. He looked down and discovered Poland pulling on his clothes for attention so he picked him up and bounced him on his knee for a bit.

"I can't play with you right now, Po. You can sit with me if you behave yourself though." Lithuania suspected there was little chance of Poland behaving himself but thought he'd give the little boy a chance to prove him wrong.

He sat Poland on the left side of the desk then moved his papers to the far right. Lithuania was right-handed and intended to use his left hand as a shield if Poland suddenly decided to go for the documents. Lithuania took his pen in hand then watched the baby to see what he was planning on doing. Baby Po gave it some thought then dropped onto his stomach like an exhausted puppy. He rested his chin on the desk then shoved a thumb into his mouth and sucked. Apparently he was on a break.

Lithuania sighed then went back to reading and signing papers. About five minutes into his work, he heard Poland shuffling closer and he looked on as the little one's face hovered above his left hand for a few seconds before swooping down on it like a hawk and beginning to suck on his knuckles.

"Your own hand isn't good enough for you anymore?" Lithuania asked dryly. Poland's response was to start chewing. He rather looked like a dog with a bone. Perhaps Russia hadn't been wrong when he'd insinuated that Poland was some sort of cute canine.

Since Poland wasn't biting down hard enough on his hand to cause him any pain, Lithuania let him get on with it. It was the sensation of baby drool running down his skin and pooling on the surface of the desk that bothered him. As Poland contentedly mauled Lithuania's hand, the puddle of saliva beneath it got larger and larger. Eventually Lithuania could take no more and fished out some tissues to wipe up the mess. He forced the baby to let go of his hand so he could inspect it; the top of his hand was pink and had little teeth marks in it whilst his finger tips had gone all pruney as though he'd been in a warm bath for too long. Lithuania grimaced as he dried his fingers and the desk.

Lithuania took Poland back to his friend the unicorn and told him to eat that if he was hungry then he picked up another pen and returned to the desk. He'd been sat for ten seconds when Poland re-appeared beside his leg.

Lithuania sighed again "Okay, I give up. You can stay here while I do this." Poland immediately returned to the difficult task of soaking Lithuania's hand with his drool and the pair of them kept working until Lithuania announced to Poland that it was time for his bottle. Lithuania welcomed anything that would distract Poland for a bit and save his poor hand.

Instead of cuddling up with Poland while he had something to drink, Lithuania arranged some scatter cushions into a comfy chair for Poland to sit on in front of the television. _Please let him find this more interesting..._ Lithuania begged. The infant seemed instantly enchanted by a children's animated programme about some dazzlingly bright ponies. It appeared that Baby Po's addiction to sickeningly sweet equine creatures was being well catered for.

"We're watching basketball later" He told the child who took no notice of him.

Lithuania managed to get an hour's worth of work done without being disturbed once. Poland didn't even care to remind him that it was lunch time so they ended up eating late. When they returned to the living room, Poland's cartoon was still on so Lithuania left the television to babysit Poland while he signed more papers.

"Argh!" Lithuania growled and frantically rubbed his head in frustration. One hour in and he was so bored with his work he'd leap at the chance to do anything else. "I'm going to clean instead!"

Baby Po twisted his neck watching Lithuania stomp out of the room. _I go too!_ He immediately rolled off and out of his scatter cushions and followed Lithuania into the hallway. He poked his head around the corner and saw Lithuania wrestling a vacuum cleaner out of the cupboard beneath the stairs.

Lithuania switched the machine on and it whirred noisily, startling Baby Po who, unbeknownst to him, was spying on him. Lithuania was a force to be reckoned with when cleaning; he was hurtling along with the vacuum yet was very thorough and he never missed even one fleck of dust. As he pushed on past the doorway he caught sight of Poland and stopped. Switching off the machine, he got down on one knee to speak to the nosy baby.

"What's the matter, Po? Are you scared of the vacuum cleaner?" He asked. "That explains why your house is always a mess" He added quietly. Poland crawled over to the machine and gave it a pat, seemingly unworried by the thing.

Lithuania could vaguely remember that he'd thought about tying Poland to the machine and wondered if perhaps Poland _would_ like to ride on it. Lithuania's vacuum cleaner was quite old and most new models could not compare with its unusual shape. It was like a stocky little rectangle that slid around on its belly, or, essentially, a table on wheels only it had a long hose sticking out of the front. He laid Poland on his belly on top of the vacuum and switched it on. Po stared curiously at the warm, vibrating thing beneath him. Seeing that Poland wasn't daunted by it, Lithuania slowly dragged the appliance forward and carried on cleaning. He finished the hallway then he did the living room, or at least the half that wasn't part of Poland's den, then switched off the machine. Poland looked utterly perplexed as though he wasn't sure what the hell just happened but what he knew was that he would like to get down now. Lithuania saw him reaching for the ground and helped him back onto it.

Lithuania watched as Baby Po crawled back inside his den and rolled himself onto his pile of scatter cushions. Po gave a giant yawn, started sucking his thumb and then curled up like a tiny kitten. Lithuania wasn't surprised to see Poland put himself down for a nap but he was astonished by how little energy he seemed to have, considering the baby did nothing all day. He shook his head in disbelief.

_Well, quiet time is paperwork time..._ Lithuania thought miserably as he sat back down to get on with it. Lithuania didn't understand where all the work came from; the amount of paperwork he had to do was increasing year on year and this was just his _own _paperwork. In the past he'd also regularly done Poland's work for him because Poland was lazy. He also used to help Latvia with his because the younger nation was a little scatterbrained. He'd also been entrusted with some of Russia's paperwork, the documents Russia didn't mind him seeing, when he lived in his house. He wondered what Russia was doing now and if he was thinking about retaliating after Lithuania had threatened him. _I think I'll take Poland home tomorrow... He might not be so safe here now... _Lithuania bit his lip, something he only did when he was feeling anxious.

_**thud**_

Lithuania jumped. _What was that? _His nightmare was at the foreground of his mind only this time he _knew_ he was awake and that this time it could be _real_. What if hadn't been a dream but a premonition? He felt a panic attack coming on but he forced himself to stand on his trembling legs; if they were attacked he _had_ to protect the baby. He walked shakily to the door and peered down the hall at the entrance to his house.

Lithuania sighed in relief, it was only Poland; he must have woken and snuck past the distracted man to go for a wander. The baby was near the front door and had knocked over Lithuania's umbrella. Now the little fellow was inspecting something he had in his hand. Lithuania couldn't see it very well but it appeared to be small and dark whatever it was. Poland put it in his mouth and munched away merrily.

"Po, what are you eating?" Lithuania asked, concerned.

Poland ignored him and grabbed the side of a large plant pot which held a rather tall but sparse looking plant. The baby hoisted himself up and looked inside the pot, stole a handful of soil then flopped back onto his bottom and immediately crammed the stuff inside his mouth.

_He's eating soil. HE'S EATING SOIL!? _Poland was about to have his third helping when Lithuania screamed "PO! NO!" and ran towards the tot.

Baby Po stopped and looked at him in utter confusion. He wondered why the man was shouting and running towards him looking very upset. _Tall thing wants some?_ That must be it; Lithuania must be jealous of his snack. Poland grabbed another handful and stretched out his arm, offering Lithuania some of his meal.

"Good boy for sharing Po but I don't want any!" He said hurriedly as he picked the child up and sprinted to the kitchen with placed him on the counter near the window then tried to gently pry Poland's tiny mouth open.

"Po, open your mouth for me, be a good boy" He said. When Poland acquiesced a bit and opened his mouth slightly, Lithuania slipped a finger inside, feeling for dirt. He retracted his finger and observed that it was covered in saliva and tiny clumps of soil. He snatched a small cup and filled it with water and tried to make Poland drink some of it. Poland clamped his mouth shut and tried to bat the cup away.

"Oh please drink it!" He begged the child. "I don't know how else to get that stuff out of your mouth!" But Poland wasn't having any of it.

Feeling more desperate, Lithuania picked up Poland again; tucking him under one arm like a football then he ran to the phone and punched in the number of the emergency services. Lithuania drummed his fingers on the table in impatience after only two rings.

"112 Emergency, How may I direct your call?" A woman said.

"I need an Ambulance!" Lithuania yelled. "My baby has just eaten some soil! What do I do?!"

"Does he appear to be choking?"

"No, he... he looks pretty damn pleased with himself to be honest!"

"Sir, if the baby is not choking and has not swallowed something that could pierce his internal organs then you really shouldn't be calling us. This is a line for accidents and emergencies only."

"But he ate dirt!" Lithuania exclaimed.

"It will pass naturally through his system. There is a small chance he could get diarrhoea and if he does you should make sure he has plenty of fluids and take him to a doctor as soon as possible but he does not require an ambulance. Good day, Sir" She put the phone down on him.

Lithuania stood in the hall with his mouth open and Poland still tucked under one arm. When Lithuania eventually regained enough of his senses to hold the baby correctly, Poland looked at him with his big, glassy eyes and then burped in his face. His breath smelt of damp earth and rotten plant matter.

"Oh God!" Lithuania cried out in disgust and turned his nose away from the smell.

* * *

Lithuania had tried to gently wash the inside of Poland's mouth with a toothbrush and a lot of toothpaste and breath freshener spray but it hadn't been as effective as he'd hoped; Po's breath still smelt like a potted plant. He could only assume that some of the soil was sticking to the back of his throat and the only way to move it would be to get the child to wash it down with a drink. So Poland had been given some milk and then a pot of yoghurt, followed by some ice cream. Poland was delighted.

While Baby Po was busy devouring the soft treat, Lithuania marched his poor old plant out of the house knowing that if he didn't, Poland would most likely be sucking on its leaves the next time he crawled near it. Lithuania still had a niggling feeling that Russia might appear on his doorstep. He checked all around outside the property to make sure no one was lurking and stood on his porch and stared out into the distance, fully expecting an unwelcome visitor to appear. When no one did he shuffled back inside to make sure Poland hadn't fallen out of his chair.

* * *

If they were to return to Poland's house tomorrow, Lithuania knew he must first complete his paperwork. He'd also have Poland's to do when they reached Warsaw and he knew that he simply must stay on top of the workloads of both their homes or else their economies could suffer and someone might notice that something was wrong. Though who would believe him if he told them their financial difficulties were due to Poland being turned into a baby? Not that he could tell anyone. Not if he valued his friend's life. Lithuania felt a headache coming on.

Lithuania was a little bit sorry for Poland; the baby was looking bored and lonely and ambling around by himself. Po looked at his slide, longing to have a go on it but Lithuania was too busy to lift him onto it. Po looked at Lithuania and longed for the man to pay attention to him, pick him up or do something silly with him but Lithuania had mentally chained himself to his desk. There was nothing in particular that he felt like doing without the tall man so Poland went exploring by himself.

Around the inside of the den, around the outside of the den, under Lithuania's desk (which the man failed to notice) and out into the hallway, Baby Po discovered there weren't many places to explore. He couldn't get up the stairs by himself and Lithuania had shut all the doors to the other rooms to prevent the baby from creeping in and eating things he shouldn't. Poland flopped onto the floor and considered his options.

"Finished!" Lithuania announced suddenly as he leaned back into his chair and stretched his arms. How many hours had that taken? _Too many..._ he thought, rubbing his temple. He got up to stretch his legs and check in on Poland and looked confused when he realized the boy wasn't there. Lithuania knew Poland couldn't get far but he was still a little worried. Just to be sure he wasn't in his den; Lithuania stepped over the pillow wall and had a peek inside the ball pit and the cardboard house. _No, he's definitely crawled off somewhere... _But he could only be in the living room or the hall, so after circling the room once, Lithuania stepped into the hallway.

Poland was near the kitchen door but was in the process of turning himself round to face the direction Lithuania was in. Next Lithuania expected to see Poland drop to his hands and knees and start shuffling back towards him but he didn't. Baby Po remained seated but appeared... to still be moving... rather rapidly at that. Lithuania looked confounded while the baby surged forward with his eyes closed.

Lithuania got down to Poland's level to get a better look but it wasn't until Poland got up close and travelled past him that Lithuania could truly admire the peculiar motion the infant was adopting. The baby was seated, with his legs straight out in front of him, and appeared to be hauling himself along with his arms. When Lithuania watched carefully he realized the baby was also using his legs but the bending of his knees was so inconspicuous that at first glance he seemed to be solely relying on his little arms to propel himself. The fact that his bottom was repeatedly leaving the ground in a little bounce, though this too was almost unnoticeable, also indicated that he was using his legs to move. Poland was getting along much faster than if he were crawling; he practically glided across the floor despite the clunky, awkwardness of the movement. If Lithuania had to describe it simple terms, he'd say it was like a dog with worms dragging its butt across the carpet, only Poland's movement had a little more bounce to it. But since the baby also had his eyes closed and his lips pursed into one huge pout, little Po looked more like a frog looking for a princess to kiss! Lithuania howled with laughter.

Lithuania _truly_ laughing out loud was such a rare and pleasant sound that Baby Po stopped immediately to watch him. The man was lying on the floor on his back now, giggling and wiping tears from his eyes. Baby Po's eyes developed an impish glint and suddenly the infant was on Lithuania's face faster than a facehugger xenomorph from the _Alien_ films. The laughter was stifled as Poland covered Lithuania's mouth with his body and chomped down on his nose. Lithuania didn't even mind though peeling Poland from his face was quite challenging. He was happy again and could think of nothing more fun than being silly with Baby Po.

"Want to go down the slide, Po?" He asked enthusiastically. "Come on! Let's play. But we're still watching the game later!" Lithuania loved basketball.

Lithuania's house was unusually noisy for the next hour as he and Baby Po had chaotic fun inside the den. They rolled and crawled everywhere, threw balls left, right and centre and Poland was rocked on his unicorn and allowed to go down his slide again and again and again. Lithuania laughed and Poland jigged and bounced and they were as merry as children on Christmas morning.

Unfortunately, Lithuania had to ruin it all by being responsible and making sure they both had something to eat. Lithuania usually dreaded the afternoon feed because Poland would be having a vegetable flavoured puree and he disliked those enough to lob them across the room. Today however, Poland calmly accepted that he would be having sweet potato puree as his meal although he made several disgusted faces while he was eating it. Lithuania felt he deserved a treat for being so good and gave Poland some more yoghurt. This one was cherry flavoured and you could almost see little hearts drifting from the baby's head as he grinned dreamily because he loved the taste so much.

Poland was less enamoured with basketball much to Lithuania's chagrin. He had Poland in his lap on the sofa while they watched his national team play against Nigeria. Neither Lithuania's commentary or his shouting encouragement and cheering for the players could make the baby feel enthusiastic about the sport. Lithuania even tried cheating by bouncing Poland on his knee to make it more fun but that didn't work either.

Baby Po remained uninterested until he realized there was a ball on the TV screen; a nice big, orange one but some men had it. He pointed at the screen and looked at Lithuania. _My ball! Go get it for me! _Lithuania mistook that as Poland perhaps enjoying the game or being interested in one of the players. "That is Pocius" He said then explained what the man did but Poland didn't care; he just wanted the ball and since Lithuania wasn't getting it for him, he'd have to take it himself. He wriggled about and kicked until the man was persuaded to let him be on the floor and then he crawled over to the television.

The orange ball seemed like it would be tricky to catch; it was always moving! Baby Poland's eyes couldn't keep up with it, on many occasions he lost sight of it altogether. _It's gone down here!_ Poland thought as he tried to get behind the TV stand to retrieve the ball. Finally Lithuania understood what the little one wanted and rushed to get his own basketball from the cupboard.

"Po! It's here, look!" But Poland wasn't looking or about to answer to his name. He gave Poland a light tap on the head instead since the baby could be so ignorant at times. When he saw the ball, Poland rushed over and clung to it. _Mine!_ He was telling Lithuania and the man knew he'd lost another of his things to the tot.

"You were supposed to be watching this with me" Lithuania accused the baby as he pointed at the TV. "After this it's bath, bottle and bed for you. We're going back to Warsaw tomorrow morning." Then he realized he hadn't told Hungary this. Hadn't she said she wanted to see Po when they got back? _I'd better give her a call now... _

Lithuania reluctantly abandoned the game he was watching and dialled Hungary's number on his home phone in the hall. He wished he'd thought to bring Poland's cell phone with him when he'd left Warsaw.

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

"Hello?" He recognized Hungary's voice immediately.

"Hello Hungary, it's Lithuania"

She cried "Oh Hi!" Then Hungary began a barrage of questions "How are things? How is Po? What have you been doing?"

Lithuania decided he wouldn't tell Hungary about his run-in with Russia. "Things have been fine. Po is fine; he's hugging a basketball at the moment. And we've done a lot of things" Lithuania listed them: "I bought him new toys, we built a new den, we went for walks and we went swimming. Today I finished all my paperwork and am thinking of returning to Warsaw tomorrow to check on Poland's work. I thought I'd let you know so you could maybe meet us at Poland's house and spend the day with him?"

"I'll be over! Do you know what time you'll be there?" She asked.

"Not sure..." He confessed as he'd not even decided which flight to get. "I'll get one of the early flights so I suppose the latest we could arrive is about eleven."

"Okay, I'll try to be there then."

"Okay, Poland needs his bath now so I have to go. See you tomorrow, Hungary"

"Alright sweetie, see you tomorrow" Then she put the phone down. _Sweetie? She's calling me sweetie now?_ Hungary was a confusing woman or so he thought; Lithuania just wasn't used to terms of endearment being fired his way.

He returned to the living room and scooped up Poland. "Time for a bath, Po" The baby stared at him for a moment then started waving his arms as he frantically tried to reach the basketball that Lithuania had just separated him from. Lithuania saw no harm in the ball coming with them so he scooped that up as well and carried them both into the en suite bathroom upstairs.

Poland enjoyed making large splashes in the bath with the orange ball. Lithuania hadn't wanted the youngster to take the basketball in with him but the baby had looked so woeful and neglected after hearing the word "No" that he soon changed his mind. _Manipulative..._ Lithuania confided in himself.

Lithuania had to towel dry the ball along with Poland because the baby wouldn't leave it behind. This made Lithuania a little frustrated because he didn't want to have to carry it everywhere which was what he was doing as he took it with him and Poland when they went back downstairs for the baby's formula milk.

Lithuania dumped the ball in Poland's high chair and pointed at it; "We are not taking this on the flight with us." He told Baby Po as they waited for the boiling water to cool. "We are not." Then he wondered why he'd bothered carrying Po and the ball back downstairs when he could have left them both in Po's crib. He mentally smacked himself.

Thirty-five minutes later, the four of them, that was Lithuania, Poland, Poland's bottle and his new friend the basketball, were all sat together on Lithuania's bed. This was the first time he'd fed Poland his bottle in bed and Lithuania quite liked it. It'd be nice to just curl up together and sleep instead of having to get up and transfer Poland to his crib but he recalled Hungary warning him not to let the baby share his bed in case he smothered him. Lithuania was usually very still when he slept so he doubted he'd roll over on top of Poland but it wasn't worth risking it. Plus if Hungary found out he'd let the baby share his bed, she would probably nag him till his ears bled or kick him in the balls or both.

When Poland's eyes were almost shut, Lithuania got up to put him in his crib. The baby sleepily pointed at the basketball and Lithuania knew he'd be tucking that in tonight as well. He rested the ball next to Poland and he put his little hands on it and pulled it closer to him. _I can't believe he's snuggling with a basketball... _The bemused Lithuanian knew he would never understand the inner workings of Poland's mind.

Packing their travel bag for tomorrow was easy because he only needed to take with him some food and clean diapers for Poland. The baby had everything he needed in Vilnius and he had the same things in Warsaw with a couple of exceptions; Poland didn't have a slide or a rocking unicorn in his house. Somehow, he thought Poland and his unicorn wouldn't be able to deal with the long distance relationship. He'd see about buying an identical rocking horse and a slide in Warsaw as there was no way he was dragging them back and forth between the capitals. With their single bag packed and nothing left for him to do, Lithuania decided he'd go to bed as well.

As he slid between his bed sheets it occurred to Lithuania that his bed time was getting earlier and earlier though he couldn't say he didn't need a good, long night's sleep if he could get it tonight. He tried to talk himself into having pleasant dreams that night as he lay down. Lithuania thought about happy memories, the summer, basketball and Poland's odd crawling motion. The last one had him laughing again but he did it quietly so as not to disturb the baby. Lithuania fell asleep twenty minutes later, with a smile on his face.


	7. An Odd Family

**Chapter 7: An Odd Family  
**

November 10th

After nine hours of unbroken sleep, Lithuania was disgruntled to find he felt more exhausted than when he'd had next to no sleep. He wondered if Poland was awake and what sort of mood his was in but when he checked on the youngster he found that he was still dozing and cuddling his basketball. _When I said I wanted you to like basketball, this isn't what I had in mind... _Lithuania thought about taking the ball away, there was a chance Poland wouldn't even notice if it was gone. He lightly touched the ball and tried to gently slide it out of the baby's palms and the infant's eyes shot open. _Damn..._ Baby Po rubbed at his eyes and rolled onto his stomach then he tried, and failed, to get up with all the grace of a newborn foal.

Lithuania picked Poland up and held him close "Morning, Po" he said brightly. The baby looked at him tiredly then started to drift back off to sleep in the man's arms. _I think he needs ten more minutes. _Lithuania popped Poland back into his crib then headed for the shower.

When he returned, towel drying his hair as he padded over to the crib, he discovered that Poland was fully awake and rolling his basketball from side to side. He'd never really thought about it before but apparently Baby Poland was very easily entertained compared with his adult self; grown up Poland was rarely satisfied with anything less than doing something so dangerous his life was in jeopardy. One such example was when Poland had blindfolded himself, climbed inside a trunk and shoved himself off the top of The Cathedral of Vilnius onto a waiting trampoline below. Thank God he hadn't missed. He was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of Baby Po slapping the basketball; apparently it had displeased him in some way.

"Right! Bottle and then you're getting washed and dressed." He said as he plucked Poland from his crib, leaving the ball behind. Poland didn't even glance back at the ball, let alone request that Lithuania take it with them. They must have had a serious fall out.

Whatever went on between Poland and the ball, it hadn't affected his mood or his appetite; he was happily guzzling his drink and jigging and swaying about as usual. Lithuania waited for him to finish doing both things so he could make his own breakfast in peace, hopefully. The plan was to let Poland run wild in his den for an hour or so before they left.

"Want to go play in the den, Po? Go on, get there yourself." He placed Poland in the entrance of the hallway and waited for him to crawl off. The baby got himself into his 'ready' position then changed his mind, flopped onto his bottom and set off using the same, unusual 'crawl' he'd invented yesterday that involved dragging his backside across the floor. Lithuania looked troubled and wondered if a child could get worms. It seemed more important to investigate that than have something to eat so he started by looking at some of the books on his shelves.

He still had a book on dogs since he'd owned many in the past and checked the chapter on worms to see if it mentioned whether or not they could be transferred to humans, obviously, there was nothing on if or how countries could become affected. Poland hadn't been near any animals but he had been crawling about on the floor and eating odd things. The book said nothing about humans contracting worms from affected animals but it described the way Poland moved rather well. The book called it 'scooting' or 'dragging' the rear end across the floor. Scooting sounded quite cute; he'd refer to it as that from now on.

Lithuania checked the business directory in his phonebook next to see if there was anyone he could contact for advice, if there was no one he'd have to take Poland to the doctor. He paused at a helpline for parents and guardians. The advertisement said he could ask for guidance or information on more or less anything and the line was open twenty-four hours a day. He'd try that one.

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

"Good morning, Parentline. This is Kristina, how may I help you?" A tired sounding woman answered. Well, it was still early.

"Hello, I was wondering if you could perhaps answer a question I have about my young son and crawling?" Lithuania asked politely.

"I can try. How old is he?"

"He's almost seven months old" He replied.

"Is he not crawling yet? Or is there something else worrying you?"

"He crawls alright, it's just... last night he started moving strangely."

"Strange how?"

Lithuania watched as Baby Po scooted past him again, hesitated for a moment then said "Well... I hate to say it but he looks like he has worms."

"I'm sorry?" She didn't appear to understand.

"You know when a dog has worms they tend to drag their bottom on the floor? That's what he looks like." He could hear Kristina laughing on the other end of the phone and it made him feel silly.

He attempted to get the conversation back on the right track; "Is there a chance he could have worms?"

Kristina managed to sound like a professional again; "Children can get worms, yes, but that is unusual and have you seen any evidence of any? Actually seen worms in his stool? Does he have diarrhoea or stomach pains? Any rashes or itchiness around his anus?"

"No to all of those things"

"Then honestly, I think he's just having fun." She laughed a bit more. "Believe me; babies are very creative when it comes to getting around."

"Oh... okay" Lithuania felt foolish. "Then I think that's all, thank you"

"No worries. Thank you for calling" The line went dead and Lithuania sighed as Poland made a return trip on his bottom.

* * *

Lithuania ate his bacon sandwiches while Baby Po sulked in the entrance to the kitchen; Lithuania wouldn't give him any. "No" He told the youngster firmly. "You're not old enough and anyway it's not good for you." Poland pouted then stormed off, using his normal crawl to get back to his den. He was being extra noisy, pounding the floor with his hands as he went. Lithuania rolled his eyes at Poland's low-key tantrum.

He switched on the kettle to make himself another coffee then washed and dried the dishes as he waited for it to come to the boil. He drank as he began preparing Poland's porridge and rather miraculously, Poland reappeared.

"You must have supersonic hearing" He commented to the baby as he lifted him into his high chair. With a bowlful of sweet porridge, Poland returned to his equally sweet, bouncy self and Lithuania was forgiven for his indiscretion a few moments ago. Apparently, Baby Poland also forgot every fight they had.

"Stop bouncing and eat!" Lithuania laughed. "We're going to have to move a bit faster than this..." He said as he fed Poland another spoonful of his breakfast. "Otherwise we'll be late and Hungary could be out on your front doorstep for hours."

When Poland finished his meal, Lithuania held him in a tight hug; not because he was feeling overly affectionate but because he wanted Poland to sit still while he digested his meal and this was the only way to stop him wriggling or charging about on his hands and knees. After a few minutes, Lithuania carried Poland upstairs and changed his diaper and dressed him. Lithuania tugged on their coats and grabbed the few things they needed to take with them and then they were off to Vilnius International Airport.

* * *

As they boarded the plane, Lithuania couldn't help but be pleased they'd not encountered any elderly people this time around. He was still seething over the rude couple they'd met before who'd thought he and Poland were girls and had then harped on about how Poland's mother wasn't with them. This time Lithuania was happy to be ignored and left alone while Poland was met with admiring glances. Lithuania wasn't surprised; Poland was a very lovely baby.

They weren't ushered to seats at the front of the plane this time but at least Poland still got to sit by the window. Baby Poland stared at the big world outside in awe and was quiet and still throughout the entire journey.

* * *

Lithuania remembered where he'd left his car and navigated the parking lot with ease so they were able to hop inside the vehicle and start the relatively short journey to Poland's house immediately. However, the traffic wasn't on their side and they finally arrived an hour later than he'd told Hungary over the phone. As they pulled into Poland's driveway, Hungary rushed out of the house to greet them. Lithuania exited the car and stared at her in confusion.

Hungary gave him a look and said "I didn't break in. I have my own key, remember?"

"Oh yeah" He'd completely forgotten.

"Now let me get my Babu!" She squealed. As she flung open the door to the side where Poland was sitting, the baby's eyes filled with dread. _Oh no! The kissy woman! _If he hadn't been strapped into his baby carrier, he would've fled. Hungary released the straps holding the baby safely in place then lunged at him, plucking him from his seat and giving him a tight squeeze before kissing him all over his face. The corners of Poland's mouth threatened to hit the floor as his smile sank; he looked the picture of misery.

"Hungary, he really doesn't like that"

"He does! He likes me." She retorted.

"I never said he didn't like you. I don't think he likes to be kissed so much" Lithuania said he collected their things from the car and locked huffed at him then started stroking Poland's nose with her index finger. "So cute!"

"I'm sorry we were late" They walked towards the front door, which Hungary had left ajar.

"Oh, it's okay. Though if I didn't have a key to this place I'd have been cross with you" Hungary acknowledged. Lithuania was grateful Hungary had a key; he didn't want to admit it but he was slightly afraid of her when she was angry.

Hungary rushed ahead a little and entered the property first then she placed Poland on the floor of his hallway. "Come on, Babu! Show me how well you can crawl now." Poland got to his hands and knees immediately and charged forward into the living room where his den was. He used his old, regular style of crawling to get there. _Saving the scooting for later, hm? Won't Hungary be surprised_? Lithuania thought to himself while the woman gushed over the baby's speed.

Poland more or less ignored Hungary and crawled straight into his den and looked around. Something was amiss and the baby looked disappointed.

"Oh! I forgot. We'll need to go out and get him a ball pit, slide and this horrid unicorn he saw on the television otherwise he'll sulk." Lithuania informed a bemused Hungary.

"Well, we can go try to find those things but don't you want to have something to eat or drink first?"

Lithuania nodded "After food and drink. I need to give Po his bottle now"

"It's my turn to feed him!" Hungary shouted cheerily and raised her arm as she volunteered herself.

So while Hungary cuddled Poland and gave him his bottle, Lithuania finished preparing and cooking the meal she had begun to make shortly before they'd arrived. He wasn't sure what the Hungarian woman had been planning on making but a lot of the ingredients suited a Lithuanian dish so he made that instead.

"I was going to cook for you both" Hungary complained when she noticed what he was up to but she didn't seem that bothered by him taking over and she and ate all of the meal, well, most of it; Baby Po managed to beg his way into receiving a few mouthfuls.

"Didn't you say not to over-feed him?" Lithuania remarked dryly despite knowing full well that'd he'd been doing the same since he'd taken charge of the boy's care.

"It's just a few little bites! Don't be mean." She said in a childish sounding voice as she teased him. "Has he been mean to you, Po?"

"He's been mean to me!" Lithuania declared then Hungary laughed at him. "He has! He's eaten my things, made me spend all my money, thrown tantrums, he keeps biting my nose... we could be here all day. He's so naughty." He decided to end the mini-rant there.

"You must _let_ him bite your nose, there's no way he could reach it."

Lithuania hushed up at that, it was true he had let Poland get away with it. He'd been letting him get away with all sorts, not just now, but in all the time he had known him. Hundreds of years of Poland having his own way all the time; no wonder he was spoilt. Hungary stood and collected the dishes and cutlery while Lithuania sat quietly thinking. He re-focused when he heard water running.

"Oh, Hungary, I can do the dishes if you want" He offered.

"Why? Are you afraid I won't do them to your standard, you clean-freak?" Lithuania wasn't sure if he was being teased or bullied. "I can do them"

"But I..." Lithuania was cut off by Hungary.

"You don't have to do everything by yourself all the time or run around after everyone else." She said firmly. "Learn to accept being treated as a friend and not a skivvy."

Lithuania was dumbfounded. Hungary seemed to be annoyed with him and he wasn't sure what he'd done wrong. An impregnable silence fell on the room and it made them all feel rather uncomfortable.

Finally, Hungary sighed and threw a dish towel at Lithuania's head. "Come on! Let's get ready and go out." She smiled at him brilliantly. "Can we go to the park for a bit first?"

"Yes... I suppose we can. If you think we'll have time?" He asked.

"Why wouldn't we?" Hungary looked puzzled.

"Well, we need to get those toys for Po afterwards. Aren't you worried you'll miss your flight home?"

"Nope! I'm staying over tonight!" She announced.

"You're what?" He asked quietly though internally he was screaming. _She's spending the night here?! I haven't shared a house with a woman in decades. And she's dating a country who hates me! What if he finds out she's alone here with me?!_

Hungary looked at him and spoke slowly "I am sleeping here tonight. I want to spend more time with Po." Then she hesitated before making a confession; "I'm also kind of not talking to Austria at the moment and wanted somewhere fun to hang out for a while... till things settle down."

"Why? What happened? Does he know about Po?"

"No, he doesn't know about Po. He's just a little bit annoyed that I'm hanging out with you guys so much. I told him we're arranging a surprise party for Latvia's Independence Day" _I'd forgotten that was coming up_ Lithuania thought. "And I'm not sure he believes me. Anyway, he got angry, I got angry, we had an argument and I walked." Hungary finished.

He noticed Hungary was beginning to look aggrieved and Lithuania didn't like it. If Hungary had travelled to Poland's house to be with them and was relying on them to cheer her up then Lithuania decided he and Po would have to do whatever it took to help take her mind off things. He chucked the dish towel he was still holding at Hungary's face.

"Let's go to the park then. If you're good I'll give you a push on the swings." He pet Hungary on the head as he walked past her and smiled to himself knowing he was asking for trouble.

Hungary's look of surprise changed to a feral grin and she lobbed the towel back at him but missed. "I'm going to get you for that!" She called after him.

He turned but continued to walk backwards "Don't forget Poland!" Then he ran off upstairs.

Hungary turned to the baby who had been quietly observing his two carers who were obviously just very tall children judging from their behaviour. She picked him up and gave him a hug. "I'll pick out a fabulous outfit for you, don't you worry." She said as she followed Lithuania up the stairs.

When she reached the top of the landing and came to a stand in front of the bedroom she had previously shared with Baby Po, she gave the door a knock before peering inside to make sure Lithuania wasn't in the room and getting changed. He wasn't there so she wandered in and bolted the door shut before placing Poland on the bed then removing her skirt and heels and putting on a pair of jogging bottoms and sneakers. Next came the fun part; dressing Poland in one of the many, cute outfits she'd bought for him. She rubbed her hands together in glee while Baby Po looked a little bit frightened.

Hungary stepped out of the bedroom and found Lithuania waiting at the top of the stairs. He'd had the same idea as her and was wearing jogging pants as well. Lithuania grimaced at Baby Po; Hungary had dressed him in pink from head to toe. He'd always thought of Hungary as being a bit of a tomboy and he had a hard time comprehending her hideous fashion sense when it came to babies.

"Ready?" He asked.

"We just need our coats and hats on, don't we Babu? And you look so cute!" She told Baby Po who looked like he wanted to hang himself. _We'd better get him on a swing fast..._ Lithuania was starting to worry for the child.

Lithuania hurriedly tugged his coat on and tried to hurry Hungary up as well.

"What's your rush?" She complained as Lithuania all but bundled her and Po into his car and started the engine.

"...I just think Po really needs to go on a swing..."

_God, he's weird! I wonder if that's what Po likes about him? _Hungary silently judged Poland's choice of men. Yes, she knew adult Poland fancied the pants off of 'Liet' as he liked to call him but what she didn't know was why. Hungary had asked him many times what he thought was so great about the man but Poland had never answered, usually instead he'd blush like a beetroot and change the subject. She glanced at Lithuania and studied him. Lithuania was quite handsome but she'd seen Poland in the company of men who were much better looking. Personality wise Lithuania seemed to be kind and uncommonly patient, caring, hard-working and loyal. If Poland wanted a man who'd take good care of him and tolerate his nonsensical behaviour then he probably wouldn't find anyone better than Lithuania. On the flip side, Lithuania was a bit of a doormat, sensitive, straight-laced and verging on boring and she couldn't believe he'd be an interesting enough companion for Poland who was eccentric, brash and loud. _But perhaps they suit each other rather well because of that; they say opposites attract..._ Hungary continued to muse.

They found a place to leave the car and disembarked. Hungary dragged Poland's baby stroller out of the car and had it unfolded and ready for Poland in less than a minute which made Lithuania feel completely useless; it always took him at least ten minutes to fight the thing open. At the very least he could push it properly he thought as he took the handles and set off towards the park.

"I was going to push him." Hungary said as she jogged to catch up with him.

"You can push him when we enter the park then hopefully I'll have fewer women staring at me."

"Been getting a lot of attention, Lithuania?" She smirked at him.

"Yes, a lot of unwanted attention." He replied. "I don't know what it is... Wherever I've taken Poland I always seem to be the only man. The women just stare and stare at me and it makes me feel like I'm a criminal or something."

Hungary only laughed at him then said "We're here now. Let me have a go."

Lithuania stopped moving then got out of Hungary's way lest she knock him over in her rush to start pushing Poland in his stroller. Hungary walked at a more sedate pace and, not wanting to storm ahead and enter the children's playground by himself, Lithuania decided to match it. As they approached the entrance he could see a group of women chattering away. One happened to look in his direction and when she saw him she shouted "Marijonas!" and waved her arm and Lithuania waved back. The other women turned to regard him briefly then went back to talking.

"Marijonas?" Hungary questioned.

"Yes, that's the alias I came up with. People, well just mothers usually, have been coming over to talk to me and Poland and I couldn't give them our real names, could I?" Lithuania replied.

"No, I suppose not." She grinned. "But Marijonas?"

Lithuania glanced up and realised the woman was now heading towards them. He had very little time to explain.

He lowered his voice and spoke rapidly to Hungary "My name is Marijonas, Poland's name is Kęstutis, his mother who is also my wife is still in hospital after being involved in a car crash and you are my sister and your name is Polina. Got all that?" Lithuania was mildly shocked yet pleased he could remember all the little white lies he'd told the woman before.

Hungary's eyes were practically popping out of her head. "I've got it but God... the story you've come up with..."

"Shh!" He shushed her.

The woman was stood right before them now. "Hello Marijonas! Fancy bumping into you again so soon." She said pleasantly. "You do remember me, don't you? It's Anna and Felicia" She pointed at her child.

"Of course I remember you both" He smiled. Actually, he'd remembered their faces but not their names so he was glad she'd reminded him. "How are you?"

"We're fine. How are you and your little boy? And your wife... this isn't her, is it?" Anna asked while looking at Hungary.

"No, this is my sister Polina"

"Oh yes, you said she was visiting. Nice to meet you, Polina" She extended her hand to shake Hungary's.

_Oh crap! How's Hungary going to answer her? She only speaks Hungarian and Lande._ Or so Lithuania thought.

"It's also a pleasure to meet you." Hungary replied and her Polish was perfect. Lithuania gaped at her. "I don't suppose you'd like to join us?"

"Well, I was just about to head off but I could stay for a few minutes longer. Perhaps let Felicia have another go on the swings."

"That's where we were going to go first." Hungary said. "Come on, bro" She pulled on Lithuania's arm and he almost stumbled over. _Damn, she's strong! _Lithuania decided it would be in his best interest to make sure he never got on Hungary's bad side.

Hungary caught him still staring at her quizzically and she grabbed his collar so she could whisper in his ear "Do you really think Poland wouldn't insist on me learning some Polish?" She released him.

Lithuania suspected that either things showed on his face too readily or Hungary could read minds. Then he wondered if Hungary had learned Polish for Poland, had he bothered to learn any Hungarian for her? If Poland had learned Hungarian that would both sadden and annoy him because in all the time he'd known him, he'd made no effort to learn any Lithuanian.

The small troop consisting of three adults and two youngsters arrived at the baby swings and the women carried the children over and placed them in their seats. Hungary and Anna began to converse while little Poland and Felicia swayed to and fro. Lithuania felt surplus to requirement but was pleased to see Poland looking happier, although Lithuania suspected it would only last as long as Hungary refrained from using her kiss attacks on him.

Lithuania stood with his hands in his pockets, feeling very left out. He wasn't even following the girl's conversation so he wouldn't know where to jump in even if he wanted to. Baby Po looked at him and waved. _Cute._ He smiled and waved back and Hungary noticed him.

"Don't forget you promised to give me a push on the swings!" She called to Lithuania. Anna laughed.

"I know! I will." He replied, rolling his eyes.

Then the women continued their little chat. Hungary and Anna spoke so fast it left him feeling dazed so he decided to shut them out of his mind and think about basketball instead. Lithuania was fantasizing about his team winning EuroBasket when Hungary appeared in front of him and broke his daydream by karate-chopping his head.

Lithuania was stunned "What? What was that for?"

"Anna said she has to go now, say good-bye! And learn to pay attention!" Hungary scolded him.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I was miles away. Good-bye Anna, it was nice seeing you again" Then he bent down to shake her baby's hand. "Bye-bye Felicia"

"Perhaps I'll run into you again" Anna said, she was blushing lightly when she spoke to him and he wondered why. "Bye!" Anna waved and then went on her way.

They watched the young woman until she was far off and well away from the children's playground and then he turned to face Hungary who was grinning devilishly at him.

Lithuania was almost afraid to ask but he did anyway "What's that look for?"

"I think she has the hots for you."

"Why do you think that?"

"Weren't you looking at us or listening to our conversation?" Hungary asked but answered her own question before Lithuania could. "No, of course you weren't. Honestly! You're so oblivious to things. No wonder Poland has such a hard time."

"What's Poland got to do with Anna supposedly having the hots for me?" He looked genuinely confused.

Hungary growled in frustration and stormed off towards the swings that were intended for older children. Poland had made her promise him that if she ever ran into Lithuania she wouldn't tell him that he liked him; he said it was something he had to do himself. But Hungary didn't believe that Poland ever would tell Lithuania how he felt about him and that her unfortunate blonde friend was waiting for a confession from Lithuania. If that were true, Poland could be waiting for an eternity; Lithuania was clueless! The man probably wasn't aware that Poland liked him in a romantic sense and she had a sneaking suspicion that Lithuania was also unsure about his own feelings. _What would happen if Lithuania were to figure it out on his own... with a little nudge from me? _Poland couldn't be cross with her if she helped them along without telling Lithuania directly.

Hungary dropped herself onto a swing seat and started kicking at the ground. Lithuania, who had been silently following her, parked Poland and his baby stroller nearby then walked behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"You said I had to give you a push." Lithuania answered her as he grabbed hold of her seat on the backswing then held her as high as he could before shoving her forward with quite a bit of force.

"I can push myself" She said though she was enjoying the sudden acceleration.

Lithuania ignored her and continued to push while Baby Po sat looking peeved from his stroller; he hadn't gotten to go so high!

"So, what made you think that Anna was attracted to me?" Lithuania suddenly asked Hungary.

"A lot of things... She talked about you a lot and kept looking at you and blushing."

"Maybe she just wanted to talk but was too shy?" Lithuania suggested.

"Oh, come on! You intrinsically know when someone is interested in you or someone else." Her voice sounded lower and higher depending on how near or far she was from him as she swung. "Even if you think no one has ever been interested in you, you must have witnessed at least one person's reaction to someone they have a crush on! How about Poland?"

"I don't think Poland has ever had a crush on anyone. I'm sure he'd let me know if he did." Lithuania stated and he was certain that what he was saying was correct.

"Don't you think Po would be a little shy about revealing something like that?" Hungary asked him.

"I do but I'm sure it's not something he'd be able to keep to himself for very long. He'd tell me eventually."

_But it's you he likes and he hasn't been able to say anything for decades..._ Hungary thought sadly. She understood why Poland hadn't said anything to Lithuania; Poland feared rejection and also that his confession could forever damage their friendship. Poland had been particularly wary since Lithuania had declined his request to reform the commonwealth and was now unsure where he stood with him. Neither she nor Poland could imagine what Lithuania's reaction would be if he told him he loved him. What did Lithuania think about Poland anyway? Did he see him only as a friend? Hungary wanted to know. _I don't think he'll answer me if I ask him outright but maybe there are other things I can ask that will give me some idea. But what do I say to him? _

"Hungary?"

"Hm?"

"Can we go now? Only I think it's starting to rain and we still need to go to the shops. Also I think Poland is about to break out of his stroller."

Hungary looked over at the baby and could see that he was struggling to try free himself from the straps that were holding him. "Okay, let's go." She said. Lithuania grabbed onto the swing seat and tried to slow it down without it throwing Hungary off and then they sprinted all the way back to the car before they got drenched. As they ran, Baby Po, being a speed demon, thought it was the most fun he'd had all day and was disappointed when the two adults collapsed into the car, exhausted.

* * *

After spending an hour searching through toy stores for the rocking horse Poland liked and leaving empty handed each time, the disheartened trio decided to have a late lunch in a small restaurant. They all felt very hungry but the bottomless pit that was Baby Poland felt the hungriest of all and after consuming all of his baby food, he had to have a share of Lithuania's meal as well as Hungary's.

"I don't know where he puts it" Lithuania said.

"I don't know either but he's getting heavy" Hungary commented as she tried to hold Poland still on her lap while she washed his face.

They'd already managed to purchase another inflatable swimming pool and several boxes full of plastic balls to fill it with. They had also found a small slide and a basketball and now all of those things were packed away inside Lithuania's car and were waiting to be taken to their new home.

"I think I remember where another big toy store is. Shall we go see if we can find it?" Hungary asked.

"Yes. I think we'll make it the last one though. It's getting more and more miserable outside." Lithuania nodded towards the windows.

Lithuania paid the bill and met Hungary and Poland at the door. "Shall we run?" He said as they stepped into the rain.

Hungary took off without him, charging forward with a delighted looking baby. She shouted "Yes!" over her shoulder and appeared to be enjoying herself despite the weather. Lithuania loped after her and thought about how silly he looked as he ran wearing a long coat which was flapping in the wind. He quickly caught them up and overtook them. Poland, realizing Lithuania was faster than his stroller, indicated that he wanted Lithuania to carry him.

Lithuania slowed up and told the youngster "No, you're staying in there. I might slip and drop you." He decided to run alongside them from then on so Poland wouldn't feel discontent.

They eventually came across the toy store Hungary had thought of and when they entered Lithuania immediately had a good feeling about the place. It was as huge and as busy and as ridiculously complicated as the store in Vilnius where he'd found Poland's unicorn. Lithuania told Hungary he thought they were in luck here and then searched for a member of staff. He couldn't be bothered running up and down the aisles searching for that hideous rocking horse, even if he did have Hungary to help him this time.

"Excuse me!" He attracted the attention of a young man who obviously worked there then described what he was looking for.

"I think we do have those. Would you like to follow me?" He said and they did follow him.

Poland saw the unicorn before any of them did and began to frantically point at it and then actually attempted to leave his stroller to get it himself. The young man, who'd led them to it, plucked the toy from the shelf and showed it to the baby. It was definitely the same rocking horse but it wasn't the same colours as the one Poland had in Vilnius; there it was pink and purple and here it was pink and yellow but Poland didn't seem to care, he still wanted it.

"He likes that thing?" Hungary wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"I know, isn't it awful?" Lithuania cheerily replied. _Thank God I'm not alone in thinking it is vile!_

The store employee looked confused "I'm sorry, do you want this or not?"

"Yes, we do." Lithuania said.

"It comes in several colours but I think this is the only one we have left in stock"

"That's alright. He seems quite taken with it so we'll have that that one." Hungary smiled at the man and took the rocking horse from him. "This is heavy!" She exclaimed. Hungary was grateful when Lithuania took it off her hands. Baby Poland looked anxious as his new unicorn was passed from person to person though thankfully it seemed tall thing would be keeping after it went through the checkout and he was certain tall thing would let him have it when they got home.

"Yes!" An elated Hungary shrieked when they left the store. "Time to go home and have a nice warm bath."

Lithuania chuckled at her. "What's the matter, Hungary? Don't like being drenched through and chilled to the bone?"

"No, I don't. I don't know why I let you drag me around in this weather." She remarked sourly.

"Because your Babu would've have been in tears once he started to miss his horsey" Lithuania attempted to mimic Hungary's voice and baby talk.

"That better not be an impression of me..." She warned him but her eyes twinkled with amusement. Lithuania turned his head away slightly to hide the fact that he was laughing at her but Hungary could still see it. _Wow. He doesn't look half bad when he's not being melancholy._

"Come on, Po. Let's leave this rude idiot behind." She said as she sped off with Poland once more.

Hungary realized soon after she'd found Lithuania's car that she'd made a mistake; she couldn't get in because he still had the keys and he was trailing half a mile behind them lugging a heavy rocking horse so she'd have to wait. The rain was coming down harder and she was seriously considering breaking into the vehicle when Lithuania showed up. He was panting hard.

"You could've waited for me!" He grumbled.

Hungary looked sheepish. "Sorry. Give me the keys and I'll get open the trunk for you."

"They're in my right pocket."

Seeing as Lithuania had his hands full, Hungary took the hint and retrieved the keys herself and together they loaded Poland's new toy and his baby stroller into the back of the car. Hungary climbed in, slammed her door shut and shuddered; it was certainly very cold outside and not much warmer inside. Lithuania started the engine and switched on the heater for his friend's benefit more than his own since the cold didn't bother him as much then they set off back to Poland's house as the rain lashed down even harder.

* * *

Lithuania found himself pottering about in the kitchen all alone. The second they'd returned, Hungary had charged upstairs with Poland to leap into a hot bath as she'd said she would earlier. That was well over an hour ago. In that time Lithuania had brought Poland's new toys inside and removed them from their packaging, had a quick shower and changed into some dry clothes, drank two cups of coffee and was now preparing a meal for the three of them. He heard a chair being dragged across the floor behind him and turned to see Hungary settling herself in it with Poland on her lap.

"I was about to check on you to see if you'd drowned." Lithuania informed her. "What were you doing?"

"We had a nice, long bath, didn't we?" She was talking to Poland who looked pink and drowsy, as though he'd been sat in a sauna for too long.

Lithuania looked concerned "How hot was the water? Did you check it?

"It felt alright to me. But maybe I shouldn't have had him in there with me for so long." Hungary admitted.

"With you? You actually had him in the bath with you?" Lithuania's cheeks were tinted slightly pink.

"Yes." Hungary fixed him with an odd stare. "Is there a problem with that?"

"Of course there is! You're a woman and he's a man, well, he was a man... But he's still male! And you're not related, you're friends and you jumped naked into a bath with him?!" Lithuania yelled, looking flustered.

Hungary looked stunned by his outburst. _My God, he's such a prude!_ She thought before answering him. "Lithuania! There's nothing wrong with sharing a bath with him! He is just a baby and I'm an adult who is taking care of him. Besides, it's not the first time. I've bathed with our old Poland, grown up Poland, too." She divulged.

Lithuania's jaw dropped. "Naked?"

"Well of course naked!" She shouted. "Who bathes with their clothes on?!"

Both adults seemed to have forgotten that they were arguing in front of a very young child. Fortunately, Baby Po didn't seem the least bit bothered by it as he sucked his thumb and watched the exchange of words. Meanwhile, Hungary continued to justify her actions "We've been close friends forever; he's like a brother to me. I'm not attracted to him and he's gay so I don't have to worry about him checking me out or anything so there is nothing wrong with it!"

"Well, he's close to me too but I've never shared a bath with him!" Lithuania argued back.

"That's because you're a prude! You're like a blushing virgin. Grow up!"

Lithuania's mouth opened but nothing came out so he clamped it shut and bit his lip. Then he turned away to continue chopping vegetables and also to avoid Hungary's gaze. He didn't really want to talk anymore but Hungary did.

"So, you've not had Baby Po in the bath with you then?" She asked.

"No..." He said quietly. "I didn't like the way he looked at me."

"What?"

Lithuania sighed and offered a more detailed explanation "He was taking an unhealthy interest in my body whenever I was in any state of undress so I always leave him in another room while I change or shower."

Hungary began to laugh "What's an unhealthy interest?"

"One time I stepped out the shower and he was there... just staring at my..." Lithuania couldn't finish the sentence.

Hungary started to howl with laughter.

Lithuania turned on her "Aren't you the least bit concerned? Babies aren't supposed to be checking men out!" His face looked completely dismayed.

"He wasn't checking you out, you idiot! He was just curious! That's what babies do; they stare at things or touch things or put things in their mouth. He's just learning about the world."

Lithuania didn't believe that what Baby Poland had done was as innocent as Hungary claimed it to be. However, he didn't want to discuss the topic any further so he decided to shut up and let Hungary think she'd talked some sense into him. When he faced her again she looked amused and smug and he felt irritated by it so he looked at Poland instead and the baby seemed to be chewing on something.

"Hungary, why does he have lipstick?"

Hungary's eyes shot down and she snatched the cosmetic product from the infant. "When did you steal that? Oh God, he's eaten half of it!" She immediately tried to pry open his mouth and retrieve some of the lipstick. What she got out was some pink, waxy mush. Hungary rushed Baby Po over to the sink, washed her hands then tried again with the same result. Then she got him a cup of water to drink. "Open up again, Po."

"He won't drink that" Lithuania thought she should know that Poland didn't like cups of water being force fed to him but it appeared that Hungary wasn't in a listening mood.

Several minutes later, Lithuania found himself comforting a traumatized baby who was trembling in his arms. When Poland had eaten soil, Lithuania had also attempted to make him drink water but when the baby had protested he had stopped. Hungary, however, wouldn't stand for that nonsense and when Poland had clamped his little mouth shut and refused to drink, she pinched his nose, forcing him to breathe through his mouth and when that was open, she poured the liquid down. Lithuania suspected that Poland might not want to be Hungary's friend anymore. The youngster looked at him with his huge, glassy eyes and his bottom lip wobbled as he threatened to cry.

"It's your own fault for eating things that you shouldn't." Lithuania told him, trying not to sound sympathetic though he was.

After handing Po over to him, Hungary had announced that she was going to set up the ball pit for him and get the rocking horse out so they could play. Lithuania guessed she wanted to win back Poland's favour by giving him some of his favourite things. He juggled cooking with one hand and holding Poland for approximately thirty minutes before Hungary reappeared with a triumphant look on her face.

"I've set everything up. I'll take him into the living room now" She announced while reaching forth to take Poland. Poland clung onto Lithuania's shirt even tighter but was left devastated when Hungary managed to unhook him and carry him away. Lithuania wondered how long it would take Poland to forget about the water incident.

Apparently not very long at all was the answer. Lithuania checked on the pair five minutes later and found them rolling around in a half-empty ball pit together; many of the balls were on the floor, which didn't surprise him given that Poland seemed to like chucking them in all directions. Hungary was giggling away and Poland looked far from being terrified of her so they must have made up. Lithuania walked off and returned moments later with a bottle for Po.

"Hungary, want to give him this?" He handed the milk to her. "We'll eat in an hour or so, okay?"

"Okay" She said distractedly as Poland crawled into her lap to take his bottle from her. Doing chores such as cleaning and cooking were easier now that he had someone to help him watch Poland but Lithuania couldn't help but feel a tiny bit jealous that he wasn't getting to spend as much time with the baby now. Not to mention he seemed to have fallen back into the role of being a domestic servant while Hungary was getting to do all the fun stuff. Lithuania sighed and began to set the table.

* * *

As the three of them sat down to enjoy their meal, Lithuania couldn't help but think what an odd family they made. They were playing a game of house with him as the 'daddy' and Hungary as the 'mommy' and Poland was, of course, their pretend baby. But their little pretend family could stretch most imaginations to their limit. They were all countries and they were all unrelated, he and Hungary were almost strangers and he was a little bit afraid of her and he was sure Poland was the most unusual baby on the planet.

Hungary was a little disturbed by Lithuania's facial expressions while he was obviously deep in thought about something, she didn't dare ask what. It was easier to talk to Baby Po but it felt awkward babbling away to him with Lithuania present but not really communicating. She wondered if he was annoyed with her for the things she'd said earlier. _I'll ask him later. We're not arguing over dinner too._

"Po! Don't eat your bib!" Lithuania said suddenly, making Hungary jump. "Eat your carrots"

Poland had been feeding himself, using his hands to cram the soft veggies into his mouth but now Lithuania was letting his own meal go cold to spoon feed the baby. Poland was bouncing in his high chair and reaching for Lithuania as he fed him and the man's smile was so warm and affectionate that Hungary could almost feel herself melting into a pile of goo. _So cute!_

Hungary finished her meal first then offered to take Poland so that Lithuania could finish his. Lithuania thanked her as she plucked Poland from his chair.

"Come on, Po. Let's go see if there's a cartoon on you might like." She chatted as she carried Poland into the living room and curled up with him on the sofa. The baby immediately tried to crawl off.

"Ah ah! Sit still for a bit. Let your tummy rest." She petted his little belly as she tried to keep him in one place but Poland only ceased wriggling after seeing some ponies on the television. "That's the only thing that can stop you, hm?" Hungary asked him. Poland didn't even acknowledge her. Hungary checked the TV guide and saw that the cartoon was only on for twenty minutes and she guessed she'd get Poland's attention back after that.

Twenty minutes was enough time for Lithuania to finish his meal and wash the dishes. He'd just begun to dry them when he heard Hungary calling his name. _Something's happened to Po!_ Was his only thought as he ran through the hall and into the living room. He almost collided with Hungary who was stood and pointing to the floor.

"What is he doing?" Hungary asked fretfully.

He looked at Poland and saw that he was scooting along merrily, once again he had his eyes scrunched closed in a kind of dreamy pleasure and a ridiculously large pout on his face.

"He's dragging his arse along the floor! Does he have worms?"

"Language!" He scolded her. "He's just scooting. He likes to get about that way sometimes... I can't explain the look on his face though" Lithuania scratched his head.

They both watched in silence as Poland tirelessly scooted back and forth a few times; he never seemed to get bored with it and the silly look on his face never faltered. He passed by Hungary once more, still wearing the same blissful smile.

"You don't think he's getting some kind of sexual gratification from that, do you?" She commented.

Lithuania absorbed what he'd just heard and then looked appalled "I DO NOW THAT YOU'VE MENTIONED IT!" He shouted. "God, Hungary! Don't say things like that!"

Hungary rolled her eyes then picked Poland up. He continued to try and scoot even though he was being held mid-air. She carried him into the hallway and plonked him on the floor in there.

"More space" She said to Lithuania. "He won't have to turn himself around as often. You better run and shut the kitchen door."

Lithuania did as he was told and also made sure the area was free of obstacles and items that Poland might want to try nibbling on such as another large potted plant near the bottom of the stairs. Rather than wait for Poland to get out of his way, Lithuania chose to step over him and somehow managed to lose his balance. He thought he could hear Hungary gasp as he stumbled forward. The wall stopped him from hitting the floor as he shouldered into it and a large hanging mirror which came loose and fell. Fortunately, he reacted quickly and saved the mirror by pressing his body against it which kept it upright and against the wall as it slid gently to the ground. Lithuania let out a sigh of relief.

"Do I have to tell you that anything you break, you're replacing?" Hungary cautioned him. "Still, that wasn't being held very securely, was it?"

"Will you help me try to get it back up on the wall?" He asked.

"Hm. Do you know where some tools are?"

Lithuania responded that he did and the two of them were discussing when and how to put the mirror back when Poland scooted over to see what they were up to and spotted his reflection. The baby stared at himself curiously for a bit then crawled closer. Hungary noticed then told Lithuania to look. They both watched silently as Poland held his arm up and placed the palm of his hand on what he thought was another baby. The baby in the mirror did exactly as Poland did and when he pulled away both he and his mirror image looked confused.

Lithuania knelt down beside him and said "Who's that, Po?" and pointed to the glass.

Poland wasn't so interested in the baby now that he could see there was two of Lithuania. He looked at the Lithuanian man who was next to him and then at the one in the mirror and Baby Po wasn't fooled; he immediately crawled to Lithuania in the mirror and tried to hug him.

"You like my reflection more than me!?" the real Lithuania shouted. Hungary was laughing so hard she was crying while Poland was wondering who was yelling and why mirror Lithuania wasn't picking him up.

"You can be really dense at times" He told the baby as he got up at moved away. Poland tried to follow the Lithuania in the mirror and bumped his head on the glass. He sat down and sulked when Lithuania completely left his sight. Hungary took pity on the baffled child, picked him up and delivered him to the real Lithuania and Baby Po was so happy to be reunited with the man that he simply had to reach up and bite his nose.

"If this is how you treat the people you like, I'd hate to be your enemy" Lithuania muttered as his rubbed his nose.

Hungary stepped in front of them "Po, want to go play some more?"

"I don't think that's a good idea... He should be winding down about now, it's almost his bedtime."

She glanced at the clock "Wow! Where did the time go? I'll read to him instead then."

"I'll go make his last bottle for the night." Lithuania offered Poland to Hungary.

When Lithuania returned with the milk, he found Hungary lying on her back on the sofa. Poland was also on his back, lying on top of her with his head resting on Hungary's bosom. Lithuania's cheeks flushed. Hungary was reading aloud from a collection of short stories and he didn't recognize the tale she was telling. He coughed to get her attention then moved to hand her the bottle but Poland saw it and went to grab it himself so Lithuania gave it directly to him instead. The baby sucked noisily and greedily while Hungary continued her narrative. Lithuania sat down and listened as well. If it had been him, he would have been too self conscious to read out loud in front of anyone other than Poland so he admired Hungary for being able to carry on with him present.

By the time that the story had ended, Poland had finished his bottle and was looking very drowsy. Then Hungary tried humming a song in a very low, soft voice to try and lull the baby to sleep. Poland fought to stay awake at first but after a few minutes he fell into a peaceful slumber.

Hungary waved Lithuania over and whispered to him "Do you want to put him to bed?" Lithuania nodded and gently lifted Poland from her chest, being careful to avoid accidentally brushing against her breasts. He shuffled off quietly up the stairs, went into their sleeping quarters and lowered the tot into his crib and tucked him in. Poland shifted a bit and grasped at nothing but didn't wake. Lithuania released the breath he'd been holding then retreated back downstairs.

Hungary had put a movie on and had helped herself to a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses.

"Adult time!" She announced. "We're going to talk and drink."

"I don't really drink..."

"One glass won't kill you" She chided him. _But it might loosen your tongue..._ she hoped Lithuania was more talkative when he was a little bit grudgingly accepted a glass and took a tiny sip before sitting on the opposite end of the sofa to Hungary.

Hungary huffed and moved closer to him "I'm not shouting across the room." Lithuania wondered if that meant Hungary was expecting an argument what he didn't expect to hear was what Hungary said next.

"I want a baby."

Lithuania almost choked on his drink.

"Well, you're not getting one from me." His voice wavered.

"I never said I wanted one with you" She scoffed. "I just... I don't know. I think I'm feeling broody after spending time with Po. What about you?"

"I don't think I feel any differently about children" He answered honestly. "Po is very cute and I've had a lot of fun being a dad I guess... But I don't think I want children and I can't have any anyway. Neither can you, you know that."

Hungary looked stung and her eyes were a little watery, clearly Lithuania had touched a nerve with his thoughtless comment.

He slammed his glass down and held his hands up as though he were going to place them on her, to comfort her, but he didn't know where to touch. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... that came out wrong!"

"It's alright." Hungary uttered. "You're right. We can't have children and there's no easy way to say it."

That wasn't entirely true. As countries they _could_ bring new nations into the world but they reproduced in a way that was unlike that of humans. No country could fall pregnant as they lacked the means to do so; no eggs, no sperm and female countries had no womb. On the outside they looked like any other human being and had male or female genitalia which were functional so they could have sexual intercourse but sex would never result in conception. For the countries, sex was entirely for pleasure. New countries were born from the earth; they were carved from the land with determined borders and given face and heart names and then they existed and that was that. A country could produce a baby nation on their own or with another country of either gender, it didn't matter which, because of the way they reproduced.

The countries were capable of having the children that they craved but there were a couple of things holding them back and they both related to their human populations. Many eons ago, when there were fewer people on the earth, new countries were popping up all over because they could get away with it then. The people simply did not notice them because they were ignorant of the vast world they lived in. Then the humans created tribes and they travelled a lot and bore many more children than the countries could have imagined possible. They learned the country's names and mapped the world. They learned every mile of the earth and inhabited every corner of it and their knowledge, technology and communication skills advanced along with them.

A new country would not go unnoticed and the human populations wouldn't appreciate having a nation suddenly sprung on them and fights would ensue as they tried to determine who owned it. Not to mention all the land was now taken; for a new country to be born, its parent(s) would have to sacrifice their own land to accommodate it, or, take from others which would cause wars. Therefore, it was very unlikely that any of the countries would get to have their own child or at the very least they would have to wait an innumerable amount of years before they could have one.

Lithuania felt sorry for Hungary and for her desire which she was being denied. He'd always thought of her as an overly aggressive tomboy with a nonchalant attitude and had never considered her potential to be motherly until he'd seen her with Baby Poland. He'd never considered his own potential as a parent until now either.

"Hungary, are you okay?" He spoke quietly.

"Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

He tried asking "Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?"

"No... Wait, yes, you can talk with me about anything I want to discuss and you're not allowed to avoid answering my questions." She grinned wickedly knowing there was no way he could refuse now.

Lithuania looked like he wanted to protest but instead conceded defeat. "Fine. But please, no more talk about babies."

"Agreed." She nodded her head. "We'll talk about relationships and sex instead!"Lithuania's mouth fell open then he wondered if Hungary would let him skip this topic if he agreed to tear out his own fingernails one by one...

"Don't worry." She told him. "I won't ask for all the details. And I'll let you ask me something first." She waited for his question.

Lithuania decided he'd play it safe "So, you're in a relationship with Austria?"

"Yes and you know that! Ask something more interesting!"

He wasn't sure where to go from there. He didn't want to ask about her sex life; it would be rude to ask and he really didn't want to know. "Have you ever been with anyone else?" Lithuania couldn't recall Hungary or Poland mentioning that she'd been in any other relationships so he assumed he'd get a simple 'no' as her answer.

"This is my first serious relationship but I have slept with someone else. We weren't dating or anything." That, Lithuania had not been expecting.

"Who?" He was genuinely curious now.

"It's actually my turn to ask you a question but I'll give you this one..." She hesitated a moment as though she wasn't sure now if she wanted him to know. Lithuania took another swig of wine while he waited. "It was Prussia" She admitted. Lithuania spat his drink out.

"PRUSSIA?! I thought you hated him!?"

"I do... did... Actually, I think dislike might be the right word to use. Hate is too strong a word."

"Why Prussia?"

"Because I found him attractive" Hungary replied simply. "When do I get to ask you a question?" She then demanded to know.

"Fine, if you must. Ask me something. You're not going to tell anyone what I say, are you?" He asked worriedly.

"No. Never, this is just between us, I promise." She sounded genuine. "Who was your first?"

"My first what? Who was my first relationship with?"

"No, the first person you had sex with." There it was, one of the questions he'd hoped she wouldn't ask.

He groaned quietly and avoiding looking at her face when he told her "I haven't had sex with anyone."

"What?!" She shouted. "Never? Not even once? Not with any country? Not with any human?"

"I haven't had sex with anyone" He repeated. What was so difficult to comprehend about that sentence?

_Oh my God! No wonder he acts like a blushing virgin all the time; he is one! _Hungary was stunned. She'd expected him to have slept with someone by now; after all, he was over a thousand years old. Hungary recalled the number of times Poland had phoned her when he was fretting over the fact that Lithuania was staying at Russia's house. The upset and jealous blonde had convinced himself that Lithuania had slept with either Belarus or Ukraine at some point while he'd been living with them. For Poland's sake, Hungary had asked the girls if anything had gone on between them and Lithuania and they'd each said the same thing, that Lithuania hadn't approached either of them. Well, not for sex. He had asked Belarus out on a date and it hadn't gone well to say the least.

"Why haven't you slept with anyone?" She asked.

Lithuania pondered for a moment as he wondered why himself. Truthfully, he'd never given it much thought before. Relationships and sex weren't a priority with him and he was always busy with work. The first time he'd tried to get close to another country he'd been turned down and he suspected that if he found someone else, the same thing would happen again. "I don't know any country who would want to be with me."

_You do! You do! Poland wants that more than anything! But dammit it! I daren't say anything in case I ruin things for the both of them._ Hungary's mental anguish showed in her eyes and Lithuania noticed it.

"There's no reason for you to be upset." He said to her.

"I'm not upset. But you're, like, the only country who isn't sexually active. Well, apart from maybes Latvia and Sealand."

"I don't believe that. Poland doesn't have a sex life." Lithuania stated, confident that he was correct.

"Not now, no" Hungary muttered. Ever since Poland had become infatuated with Lithuania, he'd vowed to abstain from having sex with anyone else.

Lithuania sat up. "What? What do you mean not now? He's had sex with someone before?"

Hungary blinked. "You... didn't know?" She could tell by his face that this had been a big surprise for him. Lithuania shook his head. _Uh oh... I think I've said something I shouldn't have._

Hungary quickly attempted to correct her mistake. "Well, it was a very long time ago. I think before he got to know you so well. And, you're right; he's not seeing anyone now."

_What have I done?_ Hungary thought as she bit her lower lip. She'd assumed Poland was as open and honest with Lithuania as he was with her and that the only thing Poland had never told the Lithuanian man was that he was attracted to him. Hungary believed she could already guess why Poland hadn't told Lithuania about his past romances; Lithuania was so straight-laced and proper and held such conservative views, she wouldn't be the least bit surprised if he believed in waiting for 'the one' and no sex until marriage and all that jazz. He would probably expect Poland to be a virgin the first time they slept together and that was what Poland wanted him to think. Hungary held her head in her heads, far from helping her friend at the moment she was probably crushing his dreams of getting with Lithuania into the dust.

Now that the initial shock had worn off Lithuania was beginning to feel annoyed with himself, angry with Poland and furious with whoever had slept with him. He felt the frustration that one feels when they lose something important. Lithuania was jealous. But what he couldn't get over was that someone had touched Poland and Poland had _let_ them.

"He told you but he never told me." He remarked dumbly. _Come now, Lithuania, that's not what is bothering you, is it? What bothers you is that you never got his first time._ He blinked and tried to shake the thought away. Where had that come from?

Hungary tried to reassure him. "I'm sure he had his reasons. Maybe he knew you'd be uncomfortable talking about that kind of thing? Or perhaps he was embarrassed." _This is upsetting him. Perhaps he does have feelings for Poland but maybe he isn't really aware of them._

"You said he's not sleeping with anyone now? Do you know why?"

She wondered how she should answer. This could be an opportune time for her to start dropping hints that Poland wanted a deeper relationship with him but if she said the wrong thing... _I can only try._

Hungary chose her next words carefully. "I think he's developed a bit of a crush on a very close friend of his. A man he's known for a long time."

Lithuania began to think. The list should be small since Poland didn't have many close friends and most of them were female.

"Italy?" He tried. _I'll trip the little wimp the next time I see him..._

"No. I remember Poland being sure that the man he liked was single and I _know_ Italy is seeing someone." Hungary explained.

"Do you think it could be Estonia?" Lithuania hoped it wasn't his brother.

"Seriously? I really don't think Po is into computer nerds." Then she realized just how mean that sounded and added "Though Estonia is quite charming... in his own way."

Lithuania was running out of ideas. "It can't be Latvia, can it? He'd be considered a minor if he were human!" He despaired.

_Oh my word! Does he really not consider the possibility that he might be the one that Poland likes?_ Hungary wasn't sure if she was supposed to feel sorry for him or angry enough to hit him.

"Oh Lithuania, sweetie, you tire me." She said as she took a much needed drink.

"What?" He looked puzzled and frustrated.

"Nothing. It doesn't matter."

Minutes passed by with neither of them saying a word to each other. Hungary appeared to have taken an interest in the film she'd put on even though she'd paid no attention to the first half of it. Lithuania couldn't follow it at all and he'd decided he'd had enough for the night.

"Hungary, I'm quite tired. Can I go to bed? Or do you want me to stay up with you?" He was asking for her permission to leave.

"You go to bed if you want. I might watch another film." She picked up her bottle of wine and inspected the quantity she had left. "I might be a little bit drunk when I head up later so I'll apologize in advance in case I disturb you."

"Alright. Goodnight, Hungary" He got up and trudged towards the door.

"Night, sweetie" She called after him then took another long drink.

* * *

Lithuania slowly tip-toed into the bedroom and quietly shut the door, hoping not to disturb Baby Po. He worried he might do just that as he switched on the bedside lamp so he could see what he was doing. He crept over to Poland's crib, just to check on him, and when he peered over the edge he saw the baby staring back at him. They both blinked in surprise.

"Why are you awake?" He whispered.

Poland reacted to his voice as though it were a wake-up call and hurriedly rolled over, crawled from beneath his sheets and sat up.

"Oh no. No, it's bedtime. We're not playing now." He said gently but firmly as he tried to make the tiny infant lay back down and tucked him back in. Now Poland looked annoyed with him but at least he was staying still.

Lithuania picked up his bedclothes and went to the bathroom to change as he always did when he thought Poland might be watching him. When he returned, Poland was sat up again and appeared to be waiting for him. Lithuania sighed. What a night for Poland to decide he no longer wanted to be a good sleeper. The baby lifted his arms and waited for Lithuania to respond accordingly and pick him up.

"You want a cuddle? Will you go back to sleep if I give you a cuddle?" Lithuania asked as he did as Poland tried not to think about what he'd learned that evening about Poland but it was hard not to. But he knew that whatever he felt about adult Poland right now, he mustn't let it affect his relationship with Baby Poland. _They are not the same..._he told himself.

He lay back onto the bed and winced a bit as his scars ached when he laid on them but he immediately forgot about that when he felt Poland snuggle into his chest. The sweet, little blonde child grasped hold of Lithuania's t-shirt and then nuzzled against the fabric. Lithuania wasn't sure if he was being affectionate, trying to rub the sleep away or if he was wiping his nose on him, either way he found it adorable. He petted the solid little babe on his chest.

"You do feel heavier now, don't you? We're going to have to put you on a diet." Poland didn't seem concerned. He turned his head slightly and began to suck his thumb.

Lithuania decided that Poland could stay where he was until he was fast asleep and then he'd move him back to his crib. He let his head fall back onto the pillow and closed his eyes while he waited for the baby to nod off but he failed to notice when it actually happened because he fell asleep before Poland did. As he dreamed, he reminisced about the time Poland had told him his heart name and he wondered why, in his sleep-addled mind, that it suddenly seemed so significant that he knew it.


	8. Upon my Return

**Chapter 8: Upon my Return**

November 11th

Lithuania was roused by a crushing weight on his chest but did not open his eyes right away. He could tell without looking that it was still early as the house was deathly silent and a little chilly and felt that it should've been dark in the room but it wasn't, he could see the light through his eyelids. Although he was a little groggy and not fully awake, he had enough sense to know he'd fell asleep without switching the bedside lamp off or returning Poland to his crib. Lithuania also knew that he would not be telling Hungary that he'd ignored her and slept with the baby in his bed. He valued his life too much to do that.

Poland was shifting around slightly and accidentally applying an awful lot of pressure on top of his ribs. _Gosh, he's getting really heavy. Or sleeping in this position has done my back in..._

"Po, lie still please." He muttered while yawning.

Poland became still immediately, almost as if he'd frozen. Then Lithuania felt him slowly moving, as though he were trying to raise himself off Lithuania's body without him noticing.

"Poland..." He began but never finished as he opened his eyes and was stunned when he came face to face with someone who wasn't Baby Po. He was looking at someone his own age. Someone he knew very well. Someone with a beautiful face; flawless skin, golden hair and gorgeous green eyes. When his shock subsided and he could speak, he said the name of his old companion again.

"Poland" He smiled. It was so good to see him again! But Poland didn't seem to be thinking the same.

The blonde nation was frozen in position on top of him and he was staring straight into Lithuania's eyes. You could see shock, hurt and confusion very plainly in Poland's orbs as his pupils danced back and forth; trying to make sense of everything he was seeing. His mouth was open but no sound came out.

"Poland?" He reached up and gently touched his friend's shoulder and realized it was naked. Lithuania peered down and saw Poland's chest and his nipples. Lithuania couldn't see beyond that but he had a sneaking suspicion that Poland was _completely _naked and that the blonde knew it. Suddenly, the situation they were in hit him; Poland, who for all he knew had absolutely no recollection of what had happened in the last week, had woken to find himself in bed, naked, on top of his best friend.

"Th..this isn't what it looks like!" Lithuania stuttered. That was probably the worst thing he could say. Poland looked even more horrified.

"Then what is this then?!" Poland blurted out. _Oh. He can still talk. _Lithuania was relieved about that.

"I... Erm... Well, you see... What happened was..." Lithuania babbled on, not sure how to even begin explaining to Poland what had happened to him.

While Lithuania droned on, not making any sense, Poland continued to panic. _What happened? What happened? Why can't I remember? _The last thing Poland could remember was going out on the town with Hungary. They'd been having a good time, partying and having a little too much to drink and then England had shown up completely drunk, which he'd thought was hilarious, then... then he had no idea what happened after that. Clearly they had run into Lithuania at some point and brought him back to his place. Poland wracked his brain trying to find an explanation as to how he'd ended up in bed with Lithuania. Had he drunkenly seduced his friend and secret love interest? A more troubling thought that had entered his mind was that Lithuania might have taken advantage of him; surely the man must have known that he was drunk and unable to consent to sex?

"Rape isn't cool, Liet!" He shouted suddenly.

It was Lithuania's turn to look horrified. "I didn't rape you! We didn't have sex!" He yelled back as Poland scrambled off him and the bed and ran towards the door. "Poland! Wait!" Lithuania launched himself out of the bed and gave chase. He got a good look at Poland's naked rear end as he fled, slamming the bedroom door shut behind him. Lithuania flung the door open and sprinted after Poland who had already dived into another room and locked the door.

"Poland!" He shouted again and banged on the door. Lithuania briefly acknowledged that the landing was well lit; Hungary must have left the lights on. Then he heard a door open but it wasn't the one in front of him.

"What the hell is going on out here?! It's five in the morning!" Hungary bellowed at him. She looked rough as hell and was repeatedly blinking her tired eyes as they tried to adjust to the light.

"Hungary!" Poland called as he slipped past Lithuania and slammed into his female friend, embracing her tightly. Lithuania noted that the blonde had put some clothes on.

"Po!" Hungary shrieked in delighted surprise and squeezed him back. Lithuania kind of wanted to join in but felt as though he'd been forgotten and would also possibly be unwelcome given that Poland had just accused him of violating him.

"Hungary, what's going on? Why can't I remember anything?" Poland whimpered. Then he whispered to her in a voice that just loud enough for Lithuania to hear "And why was I naked and in bed with Liet?"

Hungary cocked an eyebrow at Lithuania and he responded by becoming more flustered. "He was awake when I went to bed last night and he wouldn't go back to sleep so I took him out of his crib and held him for a while. I was going to put him back after he'd fallen asleep but I kinda nodded off first... As for the nudity, I can only assume he burst out of his clothes when he grew up."

"What's he talking about?" Poland asked Hungary in a whiny voice. "He's not making any sense!"

"Look, I can't deal with this right now; it's early and I'm hung-over." She said. "I suggest we all go back to bed for a few more hours and talk in the morning... I mean, later on." Hungary corrected herself as she rubbed her head. "Lithuania, go back to bed. Poland, you sleep with me."

Neither of the men dared disobey her so Poland passively followed Hungary into her room while Lithuania padded back to his. He tried to catch Poland's eye as he past him but the blonde wasn't looking his way, deliberately avoiding him, he was sure of it.

Lithuania flopped onto his stomach on the disarranged bed and didn't bother to cover himself even though the room felt a bit nippy. He was certain he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep and was already making plans to sneak downstairs in an hour or so; hopefully, Hungary would be unconscious by then and wouldn't notice him breaking her orders. He needed to think about what he should say to Poland and given how implausible his story would sound, he was glad he'd have Hungary to back him up.

Elsewhere, Poland cuddled into Hungary while she petted his hair.

"Lizzie? I know you said no talking right now but I really need to know... Why was I in bed with Liet? Did I confess to him while I was drunk or something?" Of course he'd always wanted to share a bed with Liet and to have sex with him one day but he'd like to remember it if it ever happened.

Hungary sighed. "No, nothing like that happened. He still doesn't know about your feelings and you definitely haven't had sex so please can you relax and sleep for a couple more hours? We'll all sit down together and talk then."

Poland nodded and closed his eyes. He believed in Hungary and if she said things were okay then things were okay. He knew he'd have to face Liet in a few hours but at least he'd have Hungary by his side when he did. They fell asleep simultaneously, still huddled together in comforting warmth.

* * *

Poland crept down the stairs and tread softly along the carpeted hallway to his kitchen. It was a little after eight o'clock and he was certain Liet would be in the kitchen; that's where he'd always find him first thing in the morning whenever he stayed over. He was actually trying to avoid Lithuania at that moment so it was a slightly absurd contradiction that he was looking for him. He peeked around the corner of the doorway but could see no sign of the brunette.

Lithuania, who had been sitting in the living room, spotted Poland flit past the entrance so he got up to see what the blonde was up to. He was puzzled as Poland seemed to be sneaking about like a burglar even though he was in his own home. Lithuania had got right up behind him and had gone unnoticed.

"What are you doing?" He asked and watched as Poland jumped a mile and wheeled around to face the person who had startled him.

"You scared me!" Poland accused.

"Sorry..."

Then an awkward silence. Poland sensed that something about Lithuania was different. He studied the man's face, which he hadn't set eyes upon in at least a month, but it looked the same as always. He hadn't expected Lithuania's looks to have noticeably changed anyway; countries aged so slowly that unless they altered their hairstyle, something Lithuania never did, their appearance could remain consistent for decades or even hundreds of years. Lithuania's cheeks did seem a little flushed though. Poland blushed in return as he recalled Lithuania had seen him naked. The embarrassed nation turned and pretended to be hunting for something in his cupboards. The first door he opened revealed dozens of tiny glass jars which he was sure weren't there before and he had no idea what they were.

"What are all these?" He wasn't necessarily directing the question at Lithuania but the man decided to answer anyway.

"Baby food"

"There's a baby here?" Poland's eyes widened.

"There was but he's gone now" Lithuania replied, with a hint of regret.

"Well, why was it here? Where is it now?"

"He was here because he's always lived here. And I'm looking at him now." Lithuania stared straight into his eyes.

Poland absorbed the remark and took it to be an insult. "Rude, Liet! I'm not a baby!"

"I wasn't calling you a baby; I was saying you _were_ a baby. You were turned into a baby by England while he was too drunk to know what he was doing."

Poland stared at him as if he'd grown a second head and then the confused look turned to one of annoyance. "What is that crap you're spouting!? This isn't funny, Lithuania! I want to know what really happened last night!" He was fuming and Lithuania found himself getting equally angry.

"I'm telling you what happened!" Lithuania shouted back. "It may be unbelievable but it's also the truth! And it didn't happen yesterday, it happened over a week ago!" He tossed a newspaper at Poland which the blonde neatly caught with one hand. "Check the date."

Poland glanced at the newspaper and was astonished to see that Lithuania was right; it was the eleventh of November which meant he'd missed almost as many days. His knees began to shake involuntarily and Lithuania rushed over to catch Poland before his legs gave way.

"Wha... was I in a coma or something?" He seemed close to tears.

"No, Poland."He said softly. "I told you... you don't remember the last few days because you were a baby all that time." Lithuania tried to hoist Poland back up to a standing position, which was very difficult now that he'd regained his adult weight.

It was then that Hungary stepped into the kitchen and the first thing she saw was Lithuania embracing Poland from behind.

"Am I interrupting something?" She smirked.

"No, Hungary. I just told Poland what had happened to him and he's not exactly taking the news well..."

Poland piped up "He keeps saying I was a baby"

"You were, sweetie." She cupped both sides of his face and made him look her in the eye so he could see that she wasn't joking. "Come on, let's all sit down. Then Hungary declared that she needed caffeine, a lot of it, so Lithuania made a drink for each of them.

They gathered around the table, drank their coffee and listened to Hungary animatedly explain to Poland what had gone on since they ran into England and before Lithuania had arrived in Warsaw. Lithuania had only been given the bare bones of the story on the day Hungary had requested his help so he concentrated on every word she said almost as intently as Poland did.

Apparently, Hungary had initially panicked as much as Lithuania had when he discovered he'd be taking care of baby Poland alone. She had seen Poland transformed into a baby in the middle of a crowded bar, fortunately all the people present were rather drunk and dismissed the event as a clever magic trick, she had scooped him up and tried to pursue a frolicking England but he'd vanished without a trace after he went outside. Knowing she had little hope of finding him, Hungary had decided to take Poland home and there, after sobering up with a cold shower and seven cups of coffee, she'd decided to use the internet to search for tips on how to take care of a baby. It was at this point that Hungary admitted she knew nothing of childcare and also hadn't accounted for the fact that some of what she had read was age specific so she then had to figure out roughly how old Poland was.

"I had to figure that out too, since you never told me." Lithuania interrupted.

"Oh, sorry. My head was all over the place!" Hungary justified herself.

Hungary briefly scolded Lithuania for making her lose track before continuing from where she'd left off. Hungary had spent her first night with baby Poland compiling a list of things she would need to buy for him and then rushed around town looking for a twenty-four hour convenience store to get in some urgent items such as milk and diapers. The rest of the weekend, she said, was a complete blur as she spent her time trying to understand Poland's needs, what she was supposed to do with all the stuff she'd bought for him, feeding him, changing him and attempting to get him settled into some kind of routine. Hungary recalled that she had phoned England the day after Poland's transformation but he was of no help to her. Then she had wondered who else she could confide in and seek support from. Hungary explained that that was the point she really began to worry as it dawned on her how vulnerable Poland was and what could have potentially happened to him if an enemy nation discovered his plight. She had realized she couldn't manage Poland alone but needed to select a country that was absolutely trustworthy.

"I tried contacting Lithuania next." She went on. "But he never answered. There was no one else I could turn to so I rang him again and again for days."

"I was with Mr. America." Lithuania pointed out.

"Well I didn't know that, did I? You could have left a message on your answer phone."

"Ah... I never thought of that." He said sheepishly.

"Anyway, when I finally got through to him, I asked him to hurry over and he did. I needed to get back home because I'd been gone for days and Austria was wondering where I was." She explained to Poland. "So I left you in Lithuania's capable hands. He's been taking care of you for... the last week, has it been a week?" She asked Lithuania but never gave him a chance to answer. "And I've been visiting every couple of days."

Poland, who hadn't uttered a word since they'd sat down, still looked speechless. Lithuania felt that more coffee was needed and got up to flick the kettle back on.

"All of that really happened?" Poland quietly asked Hungary. "I was really a baby and you both took care of me?"

"Yes and you were such a cute baby!" Hungary gushed. "Oh! Lithuania! I never took any pictures of him! Did you?" She was pleading with him with her eyes.

"No, I didn't think to take any either. Dammit..." Lithuania thought it was a crying shame they had no pictures of Baby Po; they would have made excellent evidence not to mention been a treasured keepsake of the time they spent together.

"Oh!" Hungary cried plaintively and then began to sulk. "Change back, now!" She demanded Poland.

"Don't say that!" Lithuania yelled. "What if it happens?! Have you already forgotten how stressful this last week has been?"

"A lot of it was fun as well!" She argued.

Poland observed the exchange of words with building apprehension. He'd never heard Lithuania and Hungary say so much to one another before. Usually when the three of them were together, Lithuania would shyly ignore Hungary while she treated him with a casual indifference but now they were having a petty argument akin to the ones he usually had with Liet. It was as though their roles had all been switched. Had Lithuania gotten so much closer to Hungary while he wasn't around?

"Was I really cute?" Poland butted in suddenly.

"Totally!" Hungary swirled around to face her best friend. "Absolutely adorable! Wasn't he, Lithuania?"

"He was very cute." Lithuania agreed. _And he still is... _he thought to himself.

"Oh I had sooo much fun picking out cute little outfits for you to wear! Want to see them?" Hungary carried on.

"Yeah!" Poland said as he dashed out of his chair and grabbed Hungary's arm. She led Poland off upstairs; the two of them running and chattering like overexcited children. Lithuania was not so enthused by clothes, not even cutesy baby outfits, so he remained in the kitchen, wondering if and when the other two would want breakfast. He could hear them shrieking upstairs and marvelled at how much noise they could make when just talking.

Lithuania decided he would make a small spread including toast, various jams, scrambled eggs and some hot oatmeal. He got out a small jar of honey for Poland, knowing he liked that with his oatmeal. As he was placing the preserves on the table, a smiling Hungary reappeared minus Poland.

"What have you done with him?" He asked the blithe girl.

"He knocked over the baby powder and I let him clean it up."

"Couldn't you have helped?"

"I'm weak from hunger!" Hungary responded over dramatically before draping herself across the table. She and Poland were so alike at times it was frightening. "Is breakfast ready yet?" She added cheekily.

"It will be soon."

Poland flashed back into the kitchen "What happened to my living room?"

"He did it." Hungary pointed at Lithuania.

Seeing food was being served, Poland sat down next to Hungary and they both began to eat before Lithuania was even seated. When he did join them, Lithuania spread some butter on his toast while giving an account of why Poland's room had become inundated with pillows and scatter cushions.

"You kept bumping into things and I was worried you'd hurt yourself. Plus you seemed to really like having lots of cushions around you so I bought loads of them." He explained. Poland was touched that Lithuania cared so much and had gone to such lengths to protect him from tiny knocks and scrapes. His heart fluttered a bit.

"That was Lithuania's unique idea of baby-proofing a room." Hungary quipped before stealing a slice of toast from the man's plate. Lithuania let her do it and didn't say a word and Poland felt uncomfortable with that for some reason. Perhaps it was because Lithuania usually shouted at him when he did the same.

"And the kiddy pool filled with balls?" Poland asked.

"I took you to this place that had a huge ball pit and you loved it so I tried to recreate it here for you." Lithuania said. _For me..._ Poland's heart fluttered again.

"Who got me the scary looking rocking horse?" Poland grinned.

"I did. And I hate the thing but you loved it." Lithuania made a disgusted face and Poland laughed at him. "You know, you cost Hungary and I a fortune. We're going to be relying on you to prop up our economies for a while."

"I was amazed by how much it cost to take care of one baby." Hungary chimed in. "But I don't regret spending so much on you, Poland. Nothing was too good for my Babu." She grinned.

"_Our_ Babu." Lithuania corrected her; Poland had been cared for by both of them after all.

Poland no longer looked amused. Not because he took what they were saying to him seriously; he knew his old friends were joking with him. What bothered him was that sentence, in fact the entire short conversation. While they were playfully lecturing the blonde and reminiscing about his days spent as an infant, he felt like a child sat before his parents. To Poland, parents equated to a husband and wife who had brought a child into the world together. When Lithuania said 'our' Poland heard 'we're a couple.' That he did not like, not one little bit.

He watched Hungary thwack Lithuania upside his head with the newspaper. Perhaps his jealousy was making him overly agitated. There was no way Hungary, one of his best friends, would make moves on the man she knew he was attracted to. Besides she already had a man of her own assuming she hadn't fought with Austria and dumped him in the last week. But what if Liet had since taken a liking to Hungary? Lithuania had once had a crush on Belarus, of all people, and Hungary was, in his opinion, a bazillion times cuter and nicer than her. Who could resist her?

"Poland?" Lithuania was looking at him questioningly.

"Eh? What?" "Are you alright? You've gone quiet"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Shall we all go sit in the living room and watch some TV? There's a show Hungary and I like."

They heard Hungary gasp and turned to her. "I'd completely forgot about it! I think I missed last week's as well" Hungary huffed. "Let's go! Quickly!" She practically pulled them both onto their feet and pushed them into the room. Poland leapt over the pillow wall and switched his TV onto the right station. When he turned around he was pleased to see his two friends had sat on opposite ends of the sofa. He bounced into the gap between them, to keep them separate.

Lithuania hadn't expected the show that Hungary was so desperate to see would be a boring talk show. He gave his companions an odd look which Hungary didn't fail to notice.

"What?" She said tersely.

"Why are we watching this drivel?" Lithuania dared to ask.

"Because the guy is hot! And witty. But mostly hot." Hungary purred dreamily.

Lithuania gaped at her "Aren't you in a relationship with Austria?"

"I can still look, can't I?"

Lithuania turned to Poland, expecting him to side with him when he thought that Hungary should only have eyes for the man she was involved with but all the blonde said was "He _is_ hot, Liet."

_And what? Is that all that's required for you to jump in bed with them? _Lithuania thought bitterly as he was reminded of the information Hungary had unwittingly revealed to him last night. _Why am I still thinking about that? _He hastily made his thoughts move on to something else but he couldn't disguise his sour expression fast enough and Poland saw it.

"What? What's that look for?"

"Nothing." Lithuania muttered. "I'll go get us more coffee." He said as he slunk off towards the kitchen.

Poland waited for him to leave the room then whipped around to face Hungary.

"Do you know what that was about?" He whispered.

Hungary looked anxious so she must have witnessed it too.

"I think I might know." She responded quietly. "But I think we'd need a few hours to ourselves for me to explain properly. I can't say anything with him in the house."

Poland agreed to drop the subject for now because Lithuania could reappear at any time. The pair returned to staring at the television screen in silence but Poland wasn't interested in watching it anymore. Instead he worried about Lithuania and what had brought on his sudden mood. Lithuania would keep many things to himself but when he lost his temper he would shout and become argumentative, it was unlike him to bottle it all up and he'd never seen Lithuania look at him that way before; he'd looked both angry with him and disgusted at the same time.

Back in the kitchen, Lithuania paced while his mind gave him a stern talking to. _You shouldn't have glared at him like that, he's your friend and he was only expressing an opinion! _It was none of his business who Poland was attracted to and who he slept with, it's not like he was cheating on him. _Then why do I feel so betrayed? Why does it matter to me who Poland is seeing?_

Lithuania expertly glided across the living room floor, carrying a silver tray with three cups of coffee and some cake on it. _Look happy._He told himself.

He put on a huge, fake smile and cheerily announced "I've brought some cake as well."

Poland wasn't fooled by Lithuania's joviality; he was obviously putting it on. He could tell because the man was trying too hard and it was a far cry from Lithuania's normal demeanour. At present he was looking at 'Lithuania in Russia's house' and not a man who felt comfortable with being in his home. It bothered Poland but he decided to go along with it.

"What cake have we got?"

"Poppy-seed with vanilla." Lithuania replied to Poland. It was one of Poland's favourites.

"Cut me a big piece!" Poland sang.

"I already have." Lithuania handed him a plate with a huge wedge of cake on it and a dainty to fork to eat it with.

Poland crossed his legs on top of the sofa and shuffled back into it with his prize. He licked his lips as he did so. Lithuania noted that Poland was as big a glutton now as he was when he was a baby and while he and Hungary took their time, and actually tasted their dessert, Poland gobbled his within a couple of minutes then went to lay on the floor. He made exaggerated noises to indicate his satisfaction with the cake then rolled over to inspect some of the cushions Liet had bought. He didn't think much of the style or colour but they felt quite comfy so he grabbed armfuls of them and fashioned an odd-looking floor mattress out of them. Then he sprawled all over them and rocked and rolled about.

Hungary laughed at his antics. "You know, you were doing the same thing when you were a baby!"

Lithuania looked genuinely amused as well but said "Poland, stop acting silly." Liet was doing it again; acting like a parent and telling him what was acceptable behaviour. Poland frowned at him.

Lithuania bent down and teased Poland further by talking to him as though he were trying to placate a young child that was threatening to throw a tantrum. "Want me to pick you up and put you on your rocking horse?"

"I'm too big" Poland grumbled.

"I don't know about that... You manage to squeeze yourself into the washing machine when it suits you." Lithuania remarked.

"Why on earth would you do that?" Hungary asked Poland, stunned.

"He turns into a contortionist whenever he wants to scare the life out of me." Lithuania informed her. Hungary laughed and Poland pouted.

_*Ring* *Ring* *Ring* *Ring*_

The phone startled all three of them but no one rushed to answer it. Hungary and Lithuania stared at Poland who hadn't moved from the floor.

"Well..." Lithuania broke in. "Aren't you going to answer it? It's your house and your phone."

"Ah! Right, right, of course." Poland drawled as he sprang to his feet and flounced out into the hallway. Sometimes Poland could be a little slow on the uptake.

Poland picked up the receiver and only said "Hello?"

A gruff old guy with an awesomely deep voice spoke. "Hello Poland, sorry to disturb you but I was wondering if Lithuania was at your place right now?" Poland immediately recognized that it was Lithuania's boss.

"Yeah, he's here. Hold on, I'll get him." He placed the receiver on the table with a loud clunk then went to fetch Lithuania.

"Liet, it's your boss."

Lithuania's face became instantly concerned as he had a terrible feeling that he knew why his boss wanted to speak with him. He strode over to the phone and Poland was sure he could see Lithuania trembling.

"Hello?" Lithuania asked. "Is something the matter?"

"Lithuania, why, pray tell, have I received a phone call from Russia's boss saying you threatened to attack Russia?" His own boss sounded peeved.

Lithuania said nothing as he was aware that Poland was watching him, potentially listening in and he didn't want the blonde to know what he'd done. He gave Poland a look that said 'Some privacy, please?' and was relieved when Poland backed away into the living room and shut the door, although he looked very suspicious of him as he did so.

"This is a diplomatic catastrophe!" His boss yelled at him when he didn't answer. "We're going to have to discuss this immediately and see if we can manage to avoid any serious repercussions. A meeting with Russia and his boss will be necessary and they should be here within the next few days. Lithuania, I want you to come home _now_." The man's word was final.

Lithuania swallowed "I'll return to Vilnius immediately. I'll be driving though..."

"Come straight to my office. I'll stay late." His boss snapped at him then slammed the phone down without saying goodbye.

Lithuania quietly placed the receiver back down on top of the phone with care then returned to the room where Poland looked at him expectantly.

"I have to be heading back now." Lithuania said solemnly. He thought that his voice sounded surreally loud and seemed to echo through the room.

"What? Why? What's wrong?" Poland asked anxiously. It was rare for Lithuania's boss to urgently summon him home and the few occasions he had done it had turned out to be for trivial things. Something about Lithuania's face told him that it was actually for something serious this time.

"I can't really discuss it..."

"Of course you can! We're friends! You tell me everything!" Poland ranted. Lithuania never kept things from him, even if he wanted to at times, Poland could always get it out of him by pestering him incessantly. Lithuania was being so different today.

"Maybe later depending on how things go." Lithuania conceded a little and headed back out into the hallway.

Poland chased after him and grabbed his arm. "I apply my Poland Rule and order you to tell me what's up. You can't keep secrets from me." He tried desperately.

"But it's alright for you to keep secrets from me?" Lithuania bit back, suddenly sounding annoyed. Lithuania seemed to be hinting at something but Poland had no idea what he meant. In the living room, Hungary, who could hear everything, buried her face in her hands.

"I don't understand..." Poland muttered glumly.

Lithuania's face changed again, this time looking rueful because he'd thoughtlessly hurt his dear friend's feelings and really, none of this was Poland's fault. He tried to smile.

"It's okay." He rubbed the top of his friend's head. "I'm sorry if you thought I was mad at you, I'm really not." Poland released his arm and allowed Lithuania to put his coat on."You and Hungary enjoy putting your house back the way it was; don't leave it for me to do when I get back." Lithuania went on. "I'll try to visit again as soon as I can. Bye, Hungary!" He called into the living room.

Hungary sped to the doorway to see Lithuania off. "Bye, Sweetie. Take care."

Lithuania stepped out into the bitingly crisp morning air and Poland followed him, their breath showing as wisps of steam against the cold. _It's more than just the weather that has turned cold _Poland observed as he watched Lithuania's back. He couldn't let him leave like this.

"Liet"

"Yes?" Lithuania stopped and turned and Poland threw himself at him.

The slightly shorter nation grabbed the front of Lithuania's collar with one hand and pulled him in whilst wrapping his other hand around the man's neck, his fingers curling around his hair. Poland's face was so close to his own that their lips almost touched and for a brief moment he thought Poland might kiss him. Instead Poland gave him his characteristic smirk, pressed his forehead to Lithuania's and rubbed their noses together. Poland nuzzled against him like kitten and Lithuania swore he could almost hear him purring. Lithuania smiled at his strange display of affection and was disappointed when Poland pulled away far too quickly.

"I do like your nose!" Poland declared. What a frankly bizarre thing to say and how Poland-like it was too. Lithuania continued to smile and shook his head in disbelief at his odd friend.

"I guess you're good to go. You have my permission. But I'll make Warsaw your capital if you don't come back soon."

"Thank you, Sir Polski" Lithuania said graciously while grinning. "I'll hurry back as soon as possible."

Lithuania climbed into his car and fiddled with his seatbelt. By the time he was wearing it comfortably and had started his engine, Poland had already begun a slow walk back to his front door. _What a sad figure he looks... _He hoped Hungary would take him out partying again and hopefully give England a wide berth if they saw him. Then a thought hit him and he wound down the window.

"FELIKS!" He shouted.

Poland spun around; shocked that Lithuania would call out his heart name all of a sudden.

"Happy Independence Day!" Lithuania called to him then waved goodbye as he pulled out of the driveway and began his journey home.

Poland grinned and waved back, he'd completely forgotten what day it was. He simply must celebrate it with Hungary though he wished he could spend the day with Lithuania as well. Poland frowned. Now that Lithuania had gone, it was time to get some answers from his female companion. He shut the front door and plodded back into the room where Hungary had returned to her original position on the sofa. She looked a little upset and also was that guilt written on her face?

"Lizzie, what's wrong? Does it have something to do with Liet?"

The Hungarian woman took a deep breath then released it slowly. "Feliks, I think I've made a mess of things."

Poland sat beside her and they held each other's hands while Hungary told him everything; how she'd forced Lithuania to tell her things about himself that he hadn't want known, how she'd unknowingly revealed Poland's secret to Lithuania and how she might just have damaged their relationship.

* * *

Vilnius - Lithuania

Sometime after nine at night, Lithuania entered his house, shrugged off his coat and then slumped on the ground. His back protested a little as he violently pressed it against the wall and rested on it. He wasn't injured in any way, he just felt tired and emotionally drained. His boss had been livid with him; he couldn't recall being shouted at so much by anyone in his entire life and Lithuania's refusal to explain why he had threatened Russia had only infuriated the man more. Well, he wasn't going to tell him he'd put a nation at risk because Russia had insulted him and Poland who had been magically transformed into a darling little baby, was he? Lithuania sighed knowing he could probably expect to experience the same rage tomorrow and the day after and the day after that or until he encountered Russia once again and was destroyed by him.

"I wish I'd said goodbye to Poland properly..." He sniffed. He was dangerously close to tears and sure that if Russia didn't kill him, he'd at least seek to rule over him again and prevent him from seeing his friend.

He got to his feet and started switching the lights on but his mood lingered in the dark. How would he have said goodbye to Poland anyway? If he knew he was never going to see him again. Hold him? Kiss him? An undesired scene of some faceless male kissing Poland entered his mind, making his blood boil. He lashed out suddenly, punching the first thing within reach which happened to be a mirror. The glass splintered and fell to the floor. Lithuania looked down at the mess and immediately thought of cleaning it up as he became himself again. He quickly swept up the larger fragments then set his vacuum cleaner on the rest before taking the mirror down and hiding it in the cupboard beneath the stairs. _Out of sight. Out of mind. _Now if only he could get Poland's affairs out of his head.

Lithuania found that when he wasn't mooning over adult Poland, he was thinking back on his days with Baby Po. It was hard not to as the baby's belongings were everywhere. There was uneaten food in the kitchen, toys waiting to be played with in just about every room, the Great Pillow Wall of Vilnius had been abandoned and the den it guarded stood empty. Each and every space in his house was filled with a heavy silence and he felt as though his home were angry with him for returning alone, without the baby.

He found that he could no longer bear to look at the little boys things; it was as though the child had suddenly died. Lithuania flitted from room to room, grabbing every item he'd bought for the baby and taking them upstairs. With very little care or attention, he boxed or bagged the lot and shoved it away inside his attic. He didn't want to throw them away; they were important memories and he couldn't say for sure that he wouldn't need them again. He might if Poland had another unfortunate encounter with the Britannia Angel.

"Goodbye Baby Po" He whispered as his eyes began to well up with tears. It was so silly. Poland was alive and well but Lithuania had thought of Poland and the baby as separate beings and he missed them both thinking he'd lost Baby Po to time and adult Poland to another man. _Again? Why am I so hooked up on that?_ _I should be happy he's found someone he likes._ He composed himself and set about cooking a light meal which he didn't really have any appetite for but he knew he must eat something.

Lithuania sped through his evening activities; he ate his meal, he cleaned up after himself and then he had a quick shower. He was lonely and he was tired and right now he wanted nothing more than to escape those feelings by sleeping. Lithuania was going to bed at an obscenely early hour for a man his age, he knew it, but he couldn't think of a thing he wanted to do now that he was by himself.

He settled down between his bed sheets, lying on his stomach and sighing. He'd give anything right now just to have Baby Po nibbling on his nose or adult Poland stealing his covers. As he drifted off he imagined that Poland would probably be dancing the night away with Hungary right now, celebrating and being as happy and carefree as he always was. But Lithuania's assumptions were wrong.

* * *

Warsaw - Poland

Hungary was a solitary figure, drowning her sorrows with yet more wine as she sat alone in Poland's living room. She hoped to get drunk enough to be able to sleep soon and remain asleep for at least ten hours because she needed it that badly. It hadn't been easy telling Poland that Lithuania knew he'd slept with someone before. Even worse than that was having to tell him that Lithuania also knew that he was in love with someone but remained oblivious to the fact that he was the one Poland desired. Poland had become hysterical and wouldn't stop crying, Hungary had found it very distressing. She shuddered when she thought about it...

"He thinks I love someone else?! I still daren't tell him how I feel so I was hoping, _hoping_, that if he ever felt something for me he'd confess to me but now he thinks there's someone else he probably won't even try even if he does like me which I don't think he does anymore!" Poland wailed, as the tears poured down his reddened cheeks. He'd been crying for about an hour already.

Hungary had a hard time following him. She was used to him crying over silly things; his over the top emotional responses were the one thing about him that annoyed her at times but at least she could understand why he was so upset on this occasion.

She attempted to give him hope. "But Feliks, you didn't see his face when I told him you liked someone. He was truly bothered by it and that means he cares. I dare even say he could be jealous!"

"Or he was just angry because I wasn't honest with him about my past." Poland sobbed. "You saw the way he looked at me! He's disgusted with me. Even assuming he did like me, he won't want me now he knows I've slept with someone else!"

Hungary wasn't sure what to say next; she didn't know Lithuania well enough to judge how important it was to him that Poland be a virgin.

"Liet will want someone pure." Poland seemed convinced of that. "Because he's perfect."

Hungary didn't understand the logic behind that but waited for him to go on.

"I wanted him to think I was perfect too, that's why I didn't tell him. That and because I was ashamed of myself for giving into peer pressure and having sex with someone I didn't even like" Poland mumbled on, rubbing at his already sore eyes.

"And now... because of that stupid England making me a baby, Liet's started treating me like a child."

"He's not, Feliks"

"He was talking to me like I was one!"

"He was just teasing you!" Hungary exclaimed.

"What if every time he looks at me he sees the baby me and not me? If he has, like, fatherly feelings or something towards me then he'll never want to date me!"

Hungary shouted in exasperation "Now that's just ridiculous! Lithuania has more sense than to confuse romantic feelings for an adult with paternal feelings about a baby who isn't even here anymore!"

And that was how Hungary and Poland had spent their first few hours together after Lithuania left; they'd talked, argued, cried and hugged until Poland wore himself out and went to bed. Hungary was certain he'd probably cried himself to sleep while she sat downstairs trying to drink herself into a deep slumber.

November 11th was supposed to be the date for celebrating Poland's rebirth but today Poland's spirits had been brought so low he was beginning to think he might regret coming back.


	9. A Matter of the Heart

**Chapter 9: A Matter of the Heart**

November 12th

Vilnius - Lithuania

Lithuania was late home again having spent almost an entire day with his boss discussing his actions and deciding what excuse they would deliver to Russia and his boss and also how best to apologize to them. Lithuania wanted to do none of the three but he knew it was in his and his people's best interests if he did but he still refused to tell his boss why he'd snapped in the first place. He felt surprisingly calm despite knowing he would have to meet with Russia tomorrow. Lithuania thought perhaps it was because he was still too angry with Russia to feel afraid of him and he was more worried about what the outcome of the meeting would be. The time and the date of the meeting had been changed at short notice for reasons that he wasn't privy to. It was now being held three days earlier than originally planned.

Lithuania observed that the light on his answer machine was flashing and since he'd been with his boss all day, he automatically assumed that Poland had been trying to contact him. _I'll just get something to eat first and then I'll call him back. _He felt like eating some 'Balandėliai' for a change and had just started chopping up a cabbage when the phone rang. He groaned inwardly and reflected on a time when he couldn't be contacted at every hour of the day and night. He cursed the man who had invented the phone.

"Hello, this is Lithuania." He responded like an answering machine.

"Liet, I've called you, like, a hundred times!" He knew who it was straight away.

"You've called seven times. Stop exaggerating." Lithuania lightly scolded his friend. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to tell you about my day." That wasn't surprising as Poland did like to babble on for hours about quite inane things. "So today, Hungary and I..." Poland began and Lithuania just quietly listened. The fact that his friend could talk at length about himself and never let Lithuania get a word in edgeways had never bothered him; it was comforting to his voice, like being read a bedtime story. Sometimes he would interrupt Poland to ask a question or two but apart from that every conversation they shared was usually a one man show staged by Poland.

"So... when can I see you again?" Poland asked quietly, suddenly changing the subject and Lithuania suspected that was the real reason he'd phoned. "Are you coming back to Warsaw tomorrow?" He sounded hopeful.

"No, Poland. I'm afraid I'm still needed here."

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Lithuania considered what he should say next. He still didn't want Poland to know what he had done because he didn't want to worry his friend and also because he could imagine how the blonde would react. Poland, who wasn't afraid of Russia, would probably catch the next flight to Vilnius, gatecrash their meeting and do something crazy like threaten the Russian just as he foolishly had.

"I did something stupid. Something you probably would've done if you were in the same position."

"That does sound stupid." Poland admitted. Lithuania laughed at him.

"I have a series of meetings to attend for the next few days." Lithuania paused. "Poland... Please don't come here looking for me. I promise I will come to see you when I am finished. Okay?"

There was a lengthy silence on the other end of the line.

"Poland?"

"Okay. I won't bug you at work." Poland finally answered.

"Thank you, Poland. Listen, I'm starving and I was just about to cook something so I need to get off the line now. I can call you around this time tomorrow if you'd like?"

"I'll call you." Poland affirmed. "Now go eat something coz' I'll feel guilty if you collapse at your desk tomorrow and I don't want anyone blaming me." Lithuania chuckled at him.

"Bye, Liet"

"Bye, Poland. I..." He caught himself as heard Poland put the phone down. He'd almost said 'I love you' to Poland.

Lithuania was baffled by himself. He put the receiver down and walked like an automaton back into the kitchen to continue chopping vegetables. _Love... _That was ludicrous; he couldn't harbour such feelings for his oldest friend. Or perhaps he could... there were different kinds of love, not just romantic love which had been his first thought. He might love Poland platonically as a close friend who was almost like a brother to him and it was entirely possible that Poland felt the same way about him. Yes, that must be the feeling he'd grasped at._ I'd know if I love-loved Poland, wouldn't I? _

"AH!" Lithuania yelled in pain as he looked down to see that he'd accidentally sliced his finger open. Blood immediately began to well in the cut and ran down his digits. That would teach him not to allow himself to become so easily distracted. He wrapped some tissues around his small wound as he searched for a band aid.

After tending to the cut which had been deeper than he'd expected, Lithuania shifted between cooking and preparing his notes for tomorrow. He wanted to sort and read through them all before bed and take a quick glance at them again in the morning before he set off. Lithuania started reading while he ate his late meal and idly wondered if reading at the table was still considered bad manners if there was no one around to catch him doing it.

His house was always so quiet and there was never anything to distract him apart from his own thoughts. _I need some noise. I need someone to talk to. I need a companion. I need Poland. _Perhaps that was taking things a bit far; _needing_ Poland. He might enjoy having the endlessly cheerful nation near him but his boisterous presence would definitely prevent him from ever getting his work done. Lithuania finished checking his notes and left them on the table after he'd washed up and gone to bed.

Somehow, while he lay slightly uncomfortably on his back in his bed, Poland managed to invade his thoughts again. Ever since that difficult conversation he'd had with Hungary, he'd found himself thinking about Poland more and more. He'd been pondering over who Poland was attracted to and imagining what qualities they might have that the blonde found desirable. Poland became painfully shy whenever he had to speak to people he didn't know well so Lithuania believed that the man Poland was interested in must be a regular contact of his. He must be missing someone important. _But who?_He asked himself as he shut his eyes for the night.

* * *

November 13th

Vilnius - Lithuania

That morning, Lithuania was unnecessarily loud as he prepared his breakfast. He slammed doors and drawers, rattled cutlery and plonked plates down on hard surfaces. Lithuania wasn't annoyed; he felt disgraceful and was trying to distract himself and any invisible eyes that might be judging him. He was ashamed to admit that last night he'd had an indecent dream about Poland, one that had seen him wake with a huge tent in boxer shorts. It wasn't a one-off fantasy either, he'd dreamt of Poland numerous times in the past but hadn't had one recently, not until now. Whenever it happened he dismissed it as not knowing many people who were as attractive as his male friend and this was the reason why he so frequently appeared in his nocturnal visions. Lithuania blushed just from thinking about it.

_I'll read the newspaper. It'll take my mind off things. _Lithuania decided as he began to flick through the pages and nibble on his toast. Being a relatively serious, no-nonsense kind of guy, Lithuania generally avoided the back of his local newspaper where there were silly comic strips, questionable zodiac sign readings and pointless quizzes but today, however, he was in the mood to have a crack at them. He found the relevant page and glanced at some of the quizzes and one caught his eye immediately.

"Are you in love?" He said aloud.

There were twenty questions and each had four answers to choose from. Lithuania thought he would try completing the quiz with Poland in mind. He picked up a pen and began to circle the answers he agreed with. Some of them were very straight forward and he didn't feel embarrassed answering them, one such example was: 'How long have you known him/her?'

It helped if Lithuania thought of it as simply reviewing his friendship with Poland with questions ready to prompt him. He'd known Poland a long time, a really long time, far longer than one to two years which was the maximum answer the quiz allowed so he had to settle for that. They were currently close friends so he circled that as well. They spoke to each other almost every day and he felt that they had few shared interests but some common goals and they had always supported each other.

The next were a little harder to answer and some of them left him blushing. How often did he think of Poland? _Almost constantly these last few days at least_. What did he like about him? _His looks and his personality. _But he'd like it if Poland could become a little less selfish and consider his feelings more. He'd particularly appreciate it if Poland would give his language and his culture and traditions a chance instead of dismissing them as being inferior to his own. _Moving on... _The next question read 'Assuming you're not with them right now, do you wish you were?' _Yes_ Lithuania thought without hesitation. Then he was asked if he would want to be with Poland if he let himself go, becoming less attractive and also overweight. Lithuania snorted. Honestly, he thought the idea of a podgy Poland rolling around was cute and he didn't believe Poland would ever stop being beautiful but even if he did, it didn't really matter to him. _What truly counts is what's on the inside._

_Halfway through... _This section seemed to mostly focus on the future. 'Do you want to get married to this person?' The commonwealth had almost felt like being married to Poland and he hadn't minded that so much. Being married wasn't a problem it was how Poland would treat him if they were that was of concern to him but he liked the idea in general so he picked 'Yes.' Would he like to have children with Poland? In an ideal world he would like to have children with his life partner, yes. If they were as cute as Baby Po had been then he definitely wanted them but as he and Poland were both countries, it was almost a certainty that they would have none. He put a tick against the 'Yes' again because it was what he wished for however impossible it seemed.

Lithuania felt his cheeks burn when he realized there were questions about sex too. 'Have you already had sex with this person?' _No, but I think I'd like to..._ If his dreams told him anything it was that he really, really wanted to. How would he feel if could be in a relationship with Poland but could never have sex with him? _That's an interesting one_ he thought. Well, he'd never had sex with anyone so he didn't suppose he would miss it. As long as he felt loved Lithuania was sure he could cope with a lifetime of celibacy. Would he like to spend the rest of his life with Poland? He couldn't bear to think about a life without him in it, so yes, even if their relationship never went any further than friendship. One of the two remaining questions also made his chest hurt. 'Would you let this person go if you thought they would be happier with someone else?' _It's happened already, hasn't it?_ It seemed as though Poland had already found someone who made him happy and he couldn't get in the way of that. He selected 'Yes.'

The final question asked him if he really, honestly thought he was in love with Poland right now. I _don't know... that's why I'm doing this test!_ He thought, irritably. Lithuania decided to leave the last one and start tallying up his score instead. Then he proceeded to read his result. _Congratulations! You lucky duck! You are completely in love! _Lithuania choked on his drink then coughed it all up over the page he was reading.

"WHAAAAAT!?" He hollered. "That can't be right! My heart doesn't beat faster when I'm around him, there are no butterflies in my stomach and I don't dream about him every night... where is the music? Where is cupid?" He ranted on, listing the things he'd heard love was supposed to feel like.

"This feels... too ordinary!" He declared finally, panting hard to recover his breath.

He grasped the newspaper, scrunched it up and tossed in the trash.

Then he looked at the time then yelled "And I should've left for the meeting ten minutes ago!" He grabbed his notes and stormed down the hall, stopping only to collect his coat and his keys before slamming his front door closed with such force that the frame rattled.

* * *

Twenty minutes into the meeting, Lithuania had managed to calm his nerves as it quickly became apparent that things weren't as awful as he'd thought they'd be. As soon as all the necessary parties were present, he and his boss had stood and offered an unreserved apology to the Russian Federation. Of course, he didn't mean it but everyone looked convinced by his words and the sincere tone with which they were spoken. There was no shouting or heated arguments or threats from either side. The meeting proceeded as planned and in quiet consideration and dignity. Lithuania refused to look at Russia unless he absolutely had to; every time he caught the man's eye he seemed to be smiling his typical idiotically psychotic grin and Lithuania thought he might not be able to control himself.

Lithuania's mind wandered as he decided to take a backseat and let his boss do all the talking. Feeling less fretful about the assemblage before him, his thoughts returned to something else that was troubling him; Poland and how he truly felt about him. That silly little quiz he'd completed earlier had made him very agitated. Lithuania could easily recall all the questions and the answers he'd given and was now reviewing them.

_Is wanting to be by someone's side the same as loving them? _He wasn't sure about that. He also enjoyed being with Latvia and Estonia. _But I don't have sexy dreams about either of them._ Lithuania reasoned that he could simply be feeling horny and that Poland just happened to appeal to some of his fancies. _Some of them? I like everything about him! I even like his ridiculous pout. _Wait, was that someone calling his name?

"Lithuania?" He looked up at his boss who was standing for some reason. "We're taking a break now. Grab a coffee or something, you look like you need one." His boss had a concerned frown.

"Okay. I'm coming." Lithuania replied and followed the aging man out of the room.

Lithuania shambled along the corridor unsteadily and was just as distracted as he had been during the first half of the meeting. _Why can't I tell if I'm in love with Poland or not?!_ _What is love? Will someone just tell me if I ask them!?_

Everyone was taking the brief adjournment as a welcome opportunity to stretch their legs and get some drinks and snacks. All except for Lithuania, who stood and repeatedly banged his head on a vending machine while Russia, their bosses plus several other delegates stared at him curiously. Russia had to wonder, with just a hint of jealously, what could be troubling Lithuania more than he?

Back inside the room, Lithuania seemed oblivious of the fact that he was at the centre of everyone's attention. He was behaving very strangely today and Lithuania's Boss wondered if it was an act. They had decided earlier that they would offer ill health or mental fatigue as an excuse for Lithuania's recent incomprehensible behaviour and the actions he'd taken against Russia. It would be beneficial to them if the other nation and his boss could see for themselves how unsound Lithuania was at the moment. Of course, he'd have to persuade them that Lithuania was also on the road to recovery otherwise the Russian Federation might see it as a weakness and try to exploit it. _Maybe it's better if he continues to keep quiet..._ Lithuania's boss mused.

Lithuania appeared to be staring intently at his notes but his eyes were not focused on the writing and neither was his mind. _Poland. Poland thinks he's in love right now but what if he isn't? Or what if the man he likes doesn't love him back? Or love him enough? _Again, Lithuania was beginning to feel angry and jealous. _I've known Poland longer and we've been through so much together. We're closer than anyone could possibly imagine! I know everything about him and how to treat him right. He should be with me!_

He could admit it now, however arrogant it might appear, Lithuania thought that he was the right man for Poland and... He wanted him. He wanted to be with him. He wanted to hold him and to kiss him and he wanted to be in love with him. Lithuania's heart skipped a beat as he thought of Poland and 'love' in the same sentence and it suddenly became palpable that he _did_ love Poland. _It doesn't matter if he doesn't feel the same way about me... I have to tell him how I feel! Today!_

Lithuania became aware that he could hear people talking about him and to him.

"I must say, Lithuania, you are looking terrible. In your own opinion, do you think you are seriously ill?" Russia's boss enquired.

Lithuania stood abruptly and fixed the man with a focused and determine look. "Yes! I have a sickness of the heart and I must go remedy it at once!" Then he turned and fled; he ran to the door, threw that open then charged off down the corridor while people jumped aside to avoid colliding with him.

"Lithuania!?" His boss called after him.

"He he." Russia gave a short laugh. "Lithuania is very silly at present. Perhaps he has spent too much time with Poland and gone mad?" Russia beamed.

Russia's boss gave him an exasperated look and coughed to clear his throat before saying "Something is clearly afflicting Lithuania and I think it's safe to say he wasn't seriously considering a military strike against us. I...er... think we can leave it at that."

Lithuania's boss nodded in agreement and gratitude.

* * *

Lithuania never stopped running until he was in his car and speeding towards Vilnius International Airport. Thank goodness his passport was still in the vehicle, now nothing would prevent him from getting to Warsaw as quickly as possible. Unless, of course, the police stopped him for going thirty miles per hour over the speed limit which he currently was. He reluctantly slowed down for that.

As he drove he calmly reflected upon the last week. _How funny love is and how one finds it._ If England hadn't turned Poland into a baby he would never have spent time with Hungary and then he would never have had the conversation with her that had upset him enough to challenge the way he felt about his long-time friend and partner. With a final push from a short quiz he'd discovered something he hadn't perceived could be true; he was in love with Poland and probably had been for some time. _Now, I will tell him..._Lithuania promised himself.

* * *

Warsaw - Poland

Poland was pacing back and forth along his hallway, occasionally glancing at his phone and some scraps of paper. The moderately sized post-it notes looked tatty and worn as he'd repeatedly written on them, erased his pencilled scrawl then tried to write something else. After insisting that he was fine, he'd seen Hungary off home yesterday afternoon and since her departure he'd been trying to plan what he would say to Lithuania. The time had come, he'd decided, for him to confess his love to the Lithuanian man. Poland knew it was something that should be said face to face but he still didn't feel brave enough to do that. Trying to pluck up enough courage to tell him over the phone was proving to be just as difficult.

He stomped about his living room, trying to steel himself for the conversation that simply had to happen and to also potentially deal with the rejection that could follow. Out of the corner of his eye he thought he could see a taxi cab pulling into his driveway. He stood still and watched, wondering who it could be as a single person exited the vehicle. _That looks like Liet..._ His eyes widened in surprise and wasted no time in rushing out of his front door to greet him.

Lithuania heard Poland call him name and saw that he was stood at the top of the steps that led to his porch. Poland began to ask him why he was there when he'd said he wouldn't able to come see him for days and Lithuania silenced him with one word.

"Stop!" He said firmly and Poland did. He stopped talking and remained in a fixed position, looking puzzled.

"There's something I want you to hear." Lithuania began and Poland looked ready to listen.

Lithuania took a deep breath and said "I'm a complete idiot."

Poland blinked.

"I know you like someone else" At that Poland's face became flushed. "But before he gets to have you, you should know that..." Lithuania halted as though he were trying to find the right words to say. Clearly, he hadn't prepared his little speech.

"I've done a lot of thinking these past few days." Lithuania went on again. "About you. And I've realized that I'm not okay with you liking someone else. In fact, I hate it!" Poland looked stunned, Hungary had been right.

"Whoever he is, he's not good enough for you!" Lithuania yelled louder, feeling more empowered and surer of himself. "You're beautiful and you're funny. You're loyal and you're brave, braver than me anyway. I think you're incredible! Amazing! So much so, that I can't stop looking at you. I want you in my life forever." All his thoughts ran from his mouth, leaving him without enough air.

Lithuania stole one quick breath and added "That's why I have to take a chance on this. I may not be what you want but you're what I want and I don't care if I'm not your first love as long as I can be your last! I love you, Feliks!"

After he'd shouted those last words it became unsettlingly quiet, like being in the eye of a tornado. Neither of them made a sound. Neither of them moved. Lithuania's intense eyes bore straight through Poland's as the dazed nation processed everything the brunette had said. _Liet just said he loves me. He loves me! And he used my heart name!_ He felt giddy with joy and of course he'd accept and return Lithuania's feelings but only once he'd teased him a little... He tried to look stern with Lithuania.

"You're right; you're a total idiot." Poland concluded and Lithuania's face fell as he thought his suspicions had come true; confessing to Poland was a mistake, the blonde didn't want to hear it.

Then Poland smiled brightly and said "I love you too."

"What?" He was sure he'd heard that right but felt he might need to hear it once more.

"I love you, Toris."

"But then what about the guy you like?" Lithuania sputtered. Then an idea hit him and Lithuania's brain finally put two and two together and got four for once. "Is that me? The person you want to be with is me?"

Poland looked like he was about to cry but in a good way as he closed the distance between them. "I wanted to tell you for, like, forever but I thought you'd turn me down and never speak to me again."

Lithuania seized the moment and Poland; he grabbed the slightly shorter nation's arms and pulled him in close. "Feliks, will you be my lover?"

"Yes!" Poland exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around the Lithuanian man's neck and inclined his head upwards to steal a kiss from his new boyfriend. Lithuania had never kissed anyone before but he'd seen plenty of people do it so he hoped that by copying them he'd get it right, or almost right. Their lips locked together and Lithuania marvelled at how soft they felt. He felt he could stay there for an eternity but was caught off guard when he felt Poland push his tongue between his lips and delve inside his mouth.

Obviously Poland knew more than him so he let him continue and then tried to mimic his actions. _This actually feels very nice!_ He could feel Poland smiling against him and he was making some encouraging noises so Lithuania went at it with more fervour. Soon their tongues fought in a passionate battle for dominance and Lithuania was determined to win. He kissed Poland senseless until the blonde had to break the kiss, gasping for air.

When he'd garnered enough breath to speak, Poland's eyes twinkled as he declared "We should get married! And have babies! Lots of 'em! Since you're so good with them and everything..."

"Err...Feliks..."

"But first... you should totally show me your penis and junk" Poland added coyly. That wasn't the first time he'd asked him to do that and Lithuania was certain it wouldn't be the last time either. He'd play long for a change...

"Do I get to see yours?" Lithuania questioned, with a raised eyebrow and a suggestive smile on his face.

"Only if you can catch me!" Poland shouted gleefully and took off back towards the house, laughing loudly.

Lithuania, feeling generous, let Poland have a ten second start knowing the slender blonde still wasn't as fast as he when it came to running. He counted in his head _...eight...nine...ten! _Then he sprinted after him. As he pursued his love, Lithuania recalled once more the time he'd chased Poland up a tree when they'd first met as children and it was then he realized that he'd been chasing Poland his whole life. It was something he'd probably be doing forever and Lithuania didn't mind that at all.

**The End.**

* * *

**Authors Notes:**

Bless your heart if you've managed to get to the end and are now reading these notes. Sorry there was no smut at the end. After all the stuff about babies, I just couldn't. XD This was originally supposed to be a very short (honestly, I thought it would be seven pages tops), silly piece that focused on Baby Po scooting along and terrifying the rest of the world with his cute appeal but idea after idea came and it turned out like this.

**Disclaimers**

Song(s) - Just thought out I'd point out that I _really_ wanted to include the lyrics of the song Lithuania was singing to Baby Poland; '_Ar mylit ja jūs?'_by Marijonas Mikutavičiaus. However, I'd read somewhere that the posting of complete song lyrics was a no-no and I didn't want to be sued for using copyrighted material so I didn't.

Heart/Face Name(s) – I got the concept from a novel I like called _'Tailchaser's Song'_ by Tad Williams. I believe Williams was in turn inspired by one of T.S. Eliot's poems _'The Naming of Cats.'_ I used the idea because I liked it. ;D

Language(s) – I do not know any Lithuanian. I relied upon online translators/dictionaries for any Lithuanian words I used but I cannot guarantee that the translations are accurate. This applies to the Lithuanian and Polish names (and their supposed meanings) too.

The language of 'Lande' is completely made up. XD

Travel – For the most part I tried to keep journey times and such reasonably accurate with the exception being when Lithuania walked from Jurbarkas to the border separating Lithuania from the Russian exclave Kaliningrad Oblast and back again. There is no way he could've walked from Jurbarkas to the Russian territory and back in such a short amount of time but I wanted him to have at least one encounter with Russia so I took certain liberties with time.

Head canon(s) – One of my personal head canons is that Lithuania has a conspicuously large nose and that, and his scars, are his major body hang-ups. I also like to think that Poland secretly likes Lithuania's nose and likes to nuzzle against it.


End file.
